


Captive

by MissErikaCourt



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blackmail, F/M, Rescue Missions, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-17
Updated: 2018-08-01
Packaged: 2019-03-06 03:46:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 41,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13402779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissErikaCourt/pseuds/MissErikaCourt
Summary: Levi is forced into joining the Survey Corps in order to keep Isabel and Farlan safe from the plotting Commander Erwin. He must come up with a plan to rescue his two friends before it's too late, but he'll need help to do it. The setting is one year after the events of the A Choice With No Regrets OVA.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, this story is a labor of love. I originally started posting it probably a year ago, but took it down because I felt like it wasn't really going anywhere. Well, I've revisited, and it's definitely going places now, and it's apparently going to be twice the length that it originally was. I hope you all enjoy it and, please, feel free to leave comments to let me know what you think! I'm always up for feedback!

It had been one year since Levi set foot on the surface. One year since his first expedition with Erwin Smith, the bastard Commander of the Survey Corps. He had brought Isabel and Farlan with him and their mission had been simple. Kill the Commander and be granted permission to live their lives on the surface. However, that plan was foiled when Erwin figured everything out. Levi was able to save his friends from the titan threat, and they all survived the expedition, but the price they had to pay for trying to take out the Commander was steep. Now, the Commander had Isabel and Farlan locked up somewhere that Levi couldn't reach them. They were hostages for Erwin's cause, and Levi was the one person that could save them. All he had to do was be the Commander's puppet and do whatever he was asked. It was easy in theory, but in reality, it was something else entirely.

The truth of the matter was that Levi and his friends weren't any more free above the ground than they were under it. Isabel and Farlan were probably in chains somewhere, and Levi was confined to the small, dormitory style apartment in the barracks with the rest of the soldiers in the Corps. Anyone else probably would have been happy to have been given such a high rank in the Corps, a roof over their head, and their own squad to command, but Levi was just  _ anyone _ . The only reason he'd agreed to all this was to keep his friends safe, and now he wasn't even sure where they were. He hadn't been afforded the luxury of contact with them for the whole year after the expedition. It was probably Erwin's way of keeping him under his thumb, but his patience for that was running thin.

Still, although he wasn't happy, he found himself somewhat proud of what he'd accomplished in the time he'd been on the surface. His squad was full of good people that Erwin had at least let him hand pick. Petra, Oluo, and Eld were strong soldiers, and people that Levi was proud to know, but he couldn't say that he considered any of them friends. They had a trust bond, sure, it was important for any squad to have that if they didn't want to die a horrible death in the field, but other than that Levi still considered them only comrades. Only people that were there to make sure he didn't die, and he would do the same for them. Unnecessary death was something that Levi couldn't tolerate, and these people making the choice to serve a cause that he was  _ forced _ into didn't mean that they deserved to die.

All these thoughts and more were something that constantly plagued Levi, now that he was alone more often than not. Most days he just sat in his stupid apartment drinking the mediocre tea that Erwin had given him out of the ugly looking standard issue mugs that the military had at their disposal. His life had boiled down to this. How in the world did he find himself in a situation this absurd? He sighed as he sat the mug down on his table and let his head rest in his hands.

“Dying on that expedition would have been better than this.” He muttered to himself as he stared at the table. He found himself thinking that he almost would have been happier if they'd just stayed underground when he heard a knock on the door, but he didn't rise to open it. He didn't even say a word. He knew it wouldn't matter anyway. They would just barge in, it didn't matter if he wanted them to or not. That's how it had always been.

Sure enough, the door opened only a moment later, albeit slowly, as if the person behind it felt uncomfortable intruding.

“Levi, Erwin needs to see you in his office.” A female voice said as the hinges on the door creaked. He looked up to see Hanji standing in front of him, the same kind of sad expression on her face that she always had when she came to summon him.

Levi was inclined to think that Hanji was a decent person, personality quirks and eccentric tendencies aside, but she also seemed to be very close to Erwin. For that reason, Levi could never trust her, not fully, no matter how bad it seemed she wanted to earn his trust. To him, everyone but his squad was an enemy, even his own squad might be enemies under the right circumstances, and he always had to stay on his guard.

“As you wish,” Levi said with a sigh after a moment, pushing himself to his feet and bending into a sweeping bow to mock the authority that Hanji had over him. At least he could do  _ that _ much to let everyone know how disgusted he was with this whole situation. Not that he really tried to hide it in any way.

“Come on Levi, you know I don't like this whole situation either. I don't want you to be a prisoner, it's the only way he thinks he can get this to work.” Hanji said, her expression a little pained. He had a hard time believing that she cared as much as she let on, though. After all, she'd volunteered for the Survey Corps, she didn't have to be forced into it. Anyone that willingly followed the orders of Erwin Smith had to have something wrong with them.

“Whatever you say, four-eyes.” He answered, clasping his cloak around his shoulders and walking out the door. She ran to catch up to him, he had to have an escort when he left the confines of the prison cell he called his room, and more often than not that escort was Hanji.

“If you would just give in and admit that what he's doing is the right thing you would be free to do what you want, you know.”

“Would he also let my friends go? If they're even still alive.” It was the same conversation they always had on these walks to Erwin's office. Every time he was with Hanji she tried to convince him that what Erwin was doing was right, that he should just agree to stay without being threatened, and every time all he wanted to do was tell Hanji to go straight to hell.

“They're alive,” Hanji assured him, staring at him intensely while she spoke. “He wouldn't lie about that.”

“So you've seen them, then? You know for sure that they're okay and where they're being kept?” He didn't expect her answer to be affirmative, he just wanted to test her. To see if she really knew any of this information for sure.

“I...I haven't seen them in person, but I know the people that have. I know that they're safe and being taken care of.” The look on Hanji's face when she uttered that sentence made Levi feel uneasy like she wasn't telling the whole truth. What part of the statement wasn't the whole truth was still a mystery to him, though, and not one that he was comfortable with. “Besides, I trust Erwin. I know that he keeps his word, and you should trust in that fact too. He really isn't the man you think he is.”

“You don't have any idea what kind of man Erwin Smith really is. No one knows that but him, but I have a pretty good idea about him. I think I know what kind of man he is, and it is  _ not _ a good one.”

“Why can't you just let yourself trust him?”

“The only people I've ever trusted are Isabel and Farlan. Until I know they're safe, Erwin hasn't earned my trust.”

The rest of the walk to the administrative building that held Erwin's office was in silence. Hanji kept stealing glances at Levi as they walked, but he just kept staring straight ahead, face expressionless as they walked by the people milling around on the streets. They all knew who he was, they stared as he walked by, Humanity's Strongest Soldier, a name that they'd coined for him the moment he came back from his first few expeditions alive with not even a scratch. He hated that they looked up to him like that, he hated that this was the reputation he'd gained for working with Erwin, and he hated the attention he got because of it all. No one ever talked to him as he walked through the streets, though, and that was one thing that he was thankful for.

When they arrived at Erwin's office Hanji escorted Levi inside before she saluted and left him with a worried glance. He'd learned to overlook things like that. There was no way she could actually be concerned for him. It was just a ridiculous concept.

“Good of you to come, Lance Corporal,” Erwin said, gesturing to a chair in front of his desk. Levi had no intention of taking him up on his offer.

“I had no choice or I wouldn't be here. I think you know that.” Levi answered, standing in the middle of the room with his arms crossed in front of his chest. A defensive stance, he knew, but he was feeling pretty damn defensive.

“I understand that's the way you feel, I wish you understood that's not the way it  _ has _ to be.”

“Where are they, Erwin?” Levi asked, cutting to the chase. That was the only thing he wanted to know, he asked every time he was brought here.

“Safe,” Erwin answered, the same as he always did.

“No one is  _ safe _ here. I want to know that they're alive!” He let his arms drop to his sides and clenched his fists there as his anger grew, trying not to completely lose his temper.

“You want to see them.”

“Yes,” Levi answered, but what Erwin said wasn't a question. “Otherwise how do I know that you haven't already killed them?”

“If you put a bit of your trust in me, Levi, you wouldn't have to wonder that.”

“You have done  _ nothing _ to earn my trust! I want to see them! I won't be doing anything else for you until I know they're alive!”

“As always, you'd rather take the hard route than the easy one, I see. I'll have Petra take you to them after I talk to you about your next mission.” Erwin agreed, gesturing toward the chair again. “Now, will you please sit down and hear what I have to say to you?”

“If they're hurt, I will kill you.” Levi promise, moving toward the chair and reluctantly sitting to listen.

“Yes, I know, you tell me every time you're here.” He rolled his eyes and handed a manilla envelope to Levi before sitting in his own chair behind his desk. “That folder contains classified information about where the titans may be coming from. I need you to go there with your squad and investigate. It should be simple for you, and for them, given your skill levels.”

“What should I expect to find there?”

“Hopefully, nothing,” Erwin answered. “The village you're going to seems to have been attacked by titans last night, but there's something odd about it that I'm hoping you can figure out.”

“What's that?”

“You'll just have to go there and see for yourself.”

“So you're sending me in blind? Are you planning to kill me and my squad?”

“No, you're much too important to the cause to just kill you. I just think you'll be fine with what information you've been given.” Erwin smirked and then clasped his hands on his desk in front of him. “Petra should be in the dining hall. Tell her to take you to see your friends. She'll know where to go.”

Levi didn't say anything else, he wasn't exactly sure what he could say in that situation. Every time he'd asked to see Isabel and Farlan, Erwin had turned him down. He wasn't sure what made today any different.

Perhaps Hanji had told Erwin what Levi said about him, or perhaps it got back to him another way. It wouldn't have been hard, he wasn't shy about what he said about the people that were holding him prisoner. Nevertheless, he was now on the way to see his friends after a year of being kept from them, or at least that's what Erwin wanted him to think. He didn't let his guard down, even though he felt a slight flutter in his stomach from even the thought of seeing them again. He tried to regain his composure as he walked into the dining hall and found Petra sitting alone in a corner. She looked up at him and smiled as he approached, always happy to see him.

“Erwin said you could take me to see Isabel and Farlan. Did he lie?” He asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“No, I can take you to see them if that's what you want,” Petra said, although she looked a little worried at the thought.

“Take me, then,” Levi ordered with such a ferocity in his voice that it made Petra jump a little at the sound of it. He hadn't meant to be so harsh toward her. If he was being honest with himself, Petra was probably his favorite member of his squad. She was loyal to a fault and, out of all of them, he had no doubt that Petra was the most devoted to him. Whether that was a good or bad thing was yet to be determined. She was probably the only person here that he absolutely trusted in this ridiculous place. She wouldn't voluntarily deceive him, that he was sure of.

She got up from her seat and started walking out of the dining hall quickly with Levi trailing behind her, the same nervous energy that seemed to always be about her when he was around clinging to her body and making her movements a bit jerky and ungraceful.

“Heichou, I just want you to know, I haven't seen them in a long time. I don't know what's happened since the last time I saw them, Erwin doesn't like me going down there.” Petra said reluctantly as she brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

“Of course he doesn't like you seeing them. He doesn't trust you. He thinks you're more loyal to me.” He answered. It was no surprise to him that Erwin didn't trust Petra, she'd shown her loyalty to him more than once, and it was sure to be something that gnawed at Erwin's own trust in her.

“I  _ am _ loyal to you, Heichou.” She answered in a hushed tone, no doubt knowing that what she was saying was dangerous. She unexpectedly took his hand and dragged him into an alleyway, away from prying eyes and ears, catching him off guard as they were both thrust into a tight space together. “I know that what he's doing to you is wrong, and maybe even his whole vision for the Corps is wrong, but I feel like I don't have a choice. I signed up to be here. I thought that we were supposed to be fighting for the good of humanity not...whatever it is that we're actually fighting for.”

“It speaks to something when the Commander's own soldiers are questioning whether they should be following him or not.” Levi looked off to the side if only to distract himself from how close they were still standing together.

“At least following you I know that you'll make the right choices for your squad, to protect the people that you care for. I know that you won't hurt people unnecessarily. You're  _ good _ , Heichou. I trust you, and I hope that you can trust me, too.”

“Petra,” He was taken aback, he had never tried to win her trust or make her follow him, she was doing that all on her own. He wasn't sure what exactly he'd done to earn this admiration, but somehow he felt like he was taking advantage of her. He tried to distance himself from her in the small space of the alleyway, backing up as far as he could before he spoke again. “You must not be paying much attention if you think I'm a good person.”

“I think  _ you're _ the one that's not paying attention, Heichou.”

He quirked an eyebrow upward before she looked away from him, his gaze obviously too much for her to handle at the moment.

“Come on, we're almost there.” She said, leaving the alley and continuing toward a large building in the middle of town. They entered and immediately started descending staircase after staircase, plummeting to the deepest confines of the prison that was built under the city. It reminded Levi of where he had come from, and that gave him chills. They'd been promised, upon arriving on the surface, that they would never have to return to a place where they couldn't see the sun, and it was his fault that his friends had been put there again. Petra stopped outside a door labeled S-240 and inserted a small key before turning to him.

“Like I said, I haven't seen them for a while. Are you sure you want me to open it?” She asked uncertainty plastered all over her face.

“I have to know if they're alive.” He answered, steeling himself for whatever he might see behind the door. She nodded, turned the key, and pulled the door open quickly to find Isabel and Farlan huddled together in the corner furthest from the door. They looked terrified as they squinted up at him, the light from the hallway outside pouring into the room and making it difficult for them to see him. Their faces were sunken and their clothing looked loose around their bodies. They were starving, and they were terrified.

“P-please, don't hurt us again. We'll do whatever you want.” Farlan pleaded over the whimpers of Isabel as she buried her face in his chest. “We don't know anything! You have to believe us!”

“Farlan...Isabel...” Levi's voice was barely more than a whisper, it had been ripped away from him at the sight of them like that. “What has he done to you?”

“A-aniki?” Isabel instantly recognized his voice. His breath hitched in his throat as he heard her call him the pet name she'd always had for him. She had never called him by his real name. Just aniki, big brother. Somehow he felt like he didn't deserve that title anymore. She tried desperately to push herself to her feet and run to him, but the only thing she managed to do was fall forward. Levi rushed in to help her up and audibly gasped when he touched her. Her skin was cold and she felt like nothing but skin and bone.

“I'm here, Isabel, everything is going to be fine.” He tried to reassure her, but his voice betrayed him. “I thought you were dead...”

“We might as well be.” Farlan chimed in, not sounding nearly as excited to see him as Isabel had. “We're withering away down here. They barely feed us. They keep us in the dark. I would rather be  _ dead _ than be here.”

Farlan's words were haunting. They echoed the words that Levi had just said to himself earlier in the day, and he silently cursed himself for letting Farlan share those thoughts with him.

“I'm trying to get you out of here, I've been trying this whole time...” Levi said desperately, clinging to Isabel as he spoke.

“If you were really trying to get us out of here you would have just agreed to stay with the Survey Corps. The only reason they're keeping us here is so they don't lose you. You can't even give up your own pride for long enough to just assure them that you'll stay so that they'll let us go.”

“No, that's not true.” Levi wanted to say more, but the mixture of emotions he was currently feeling was too potent for him to think straight. He wanted to tell Farlan how much he missed the two of them. He wanted to tell them how  _ miserable _ he'd been for the past year, obeying every order just on the hope that he would see them again, but he couldn't make the words come out.

“I don't want to hear anything else you have to say, Levi. If you really cared you wouldn't fight them. The day they threatened to put us here you would have spoken up. You couldn't do that, though. You're too  _ proud _ . You're too good to sacrifice yourself for us. You think you're better than everyone, you always have. I should have known better than to put our lives on the line hoping that you would do the right thing for us.”

“Farlan...” Levi was shocked at the words coming out of his best friend's mouth. How could he believe any of what he was saying? How could Farlan honestly believe that Levi hadn't been doing everything in his power to save them? Was this what Farlan had always thought of him? That he was too  _ proud _ ? That he only served himself and no one else? Was that really the impression he gave everyone?

“Please Aniki, just get us out of here. We'll...we'll die if you don't.” Isabel spoke through sobs as he pulled her close to his chest. He felt as though if he squeezed her too tightly she would shatter into a million pieces.

“I will. I'll save you, I promise.” Levi said, speaking to Isabel, but looking at Farlan.

“That's what you said when they took us away too, but how long has it been? I can't tell days from nights down here. It feels like it's been an eternity.” Farlan's cold gaze fell on Levi firmly as he spoke his next words. “How long has it been, Levi?”

“A year,” Levi answered, blinking back the stinging sensation of tears building in his eyes. It had been so long since he'd actually cried that he hardly remembered the feeling.

“A year...” Farlan chuckled, but there was no humor in it. “A year of torture. Do you know what they've done to us? Do you know what they've been trying to figure out?”

“They don't trust me...they told me that the two of you would be kept safe...that they would give you anything that you asked for. They said as long as I did what they wanted...”

“And you believed them? What an idiot.” Farlan scoffed, cutting Levi off before he said anything else.

“Heichou...we have to go.” Petra's voice carried into the cell from where she stood at the door. Levi didn't look back at her, but he could tell that she was upset just by the sound of her voice.

“Heichou? Seems like you've done pretty well for yourself Levi. Why don't you go back to your new life? I'm glad you've managed to make friends with the fucking enemy!” Farlan yelled but his voice was still weak and frail. Levi helped Isabel back over to where Farlan sat and she looked up at him as he backed away.

“Please Aniki, we won't last much longer.” She pleaded, and Levi's tears almost spilled over as he turned toward the door. How he'd managed to keep them from doing so would always be a mystery to him.

“I'll get you both out of here, just hold on a little longer.” He said before he pushed past Petra and out into the hallway again. She closed and locked the door behind him, her face pale and her hands trembling as she turned the key and then turned to face him.

“What are you planning to do?” She asked, clutching the key to her chest as she looked at him. She probably halfway expected that he might overpower her and take the key forcibly to free them, but in the back of his mind, he knew that wouldn't work. He would need help to get them out, and that wouldn't be easy to find.

“Nothing.” He said sternly, then grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the staircase. She made a little strangled noise that sounded kind of like a mouse being stepped on as he pulled her away from the door.

“Nothing? Heichou...did you see them? You can't just leave them-” She started but he stopped abruptly in one of the narrow stairwells, turning toward her and practically pinning her against the wall.

“I'll tell you,” He whispered, close enough to her to hear her breath hitch in her throat. “But not here.”

He turned again and kept walking and Petra tucked the key into her pocket and followed him dutifully back to his room, letting him lock the door behind them before she uttered another word.

“You need my help, don't you?” She asked.

“Yes, but not just you.” He looked away from her, raking a hand through his hair as he paced the floor in his small room.

“You want the whole squad to help you...”

“Do you think I can trust all of them with this?”

“You can trust Gunther and Eld.” She answered, but the look she gave him indicated she had something more to say.

“But I can't trust Oluo with this?” He inquired. He'd thought as much. Oluo had always seemed like he held some kind of vendetta against Levi.

“Oluo is very loyal to Erwin. In fact, I've thought for a while that he might have been planted here to keep tabs on you. Also, he's a little...jealous.”

“Jealous of what?” He asked, but he realized the answer almost as quickly as he'd asked it.

“Well...you...He's upset that you always get all the glory and...well...” She was sputtering the way she always does when she's having a hard time forcing herself to say something, so Levi thought it best to just fill in the blank for her.

“He's jealous because I get your attention instead of him.”

“Heichou! What...where would you get an idea like that?” Petra blushed and stammered her way through her sentence and it wasn't the least bit convincing.

“Petra, don't be stupid. How would you expect me not to notice? Did you think that I just don't see you staring when you think I'm not paying attention?”

“I guess I just didn't really think things like that were apparent to you.” She took a deep breath as if to prepare herself for something. “Anyway, we have other things to focus on.”

“Yes, but we also have this,” Levi said, tossing the envelope Erwin had given him onto the table. “Erwin gave us a mission.”

“He gave you a mission and then agreed to let you see Isabel and Farlan. He's letting you know how bad it can get for them if you refuse him. You haven't exactly been amiable the last few weeks.”

“He's punishing them to prove a point. He wants me to know that every time I disobey him he hurts them. So, we have to go on this mission, but not before I talk to him again. I'm going back to his office. Will he be there?”

“He should be, but Heichou, what are you going to do?”

“I'm going to tell him exactly what I want in return for this mission. I'm going to promise him that he  _ will _ die if he doesn't start treating them better, and then I'm going to promise him that I'll continue to do whatever he wants me to do. I'll make it look like seeing them has aligned me with his cause and then, when the time is right, I'll kill him. Just like I was meant to do on that first expedition outside the walls.”

“It's risky...” Petra said, toying with her hair the way she always does when she's nervous.

“Can I count on you to help?” He asked, watching her closely for any signs of refusal. He saw none.

“Anything for you, Heichou.” She said with a small smile.

“Good, now take me back to his office.”


	2. Chapter 2

Levi didn't knock when he got there, he didn't pause at the door, he just charged straight through, opening the door with such force that it crashed against the inside wall of Erwin's office with a loud bang. Hanji was there when he walked in, and she jumped at the unexpected sound.

“Levi?” She asked before he pushed her out of the way and slammed his fists down on Erwin's desk.

“Get them the hell out of there, Erwin!” He yelled, the seriousness of his words conveyed in his actions. “Get them out of there or I swear, Erwin, I  _ will _ kill you. I don't care what happens to me. If you don't get them out of there and make sure they're alive I will fucking kill you!”

“We've been through this before, Levi.” Erwin started with a smile, completely unfazed by Levi's display of anger. It made his blood boil. “As long as you agree to do whatever I ask of you, without hesitation or arguments, they'll be kept safe.”

“I want them out of that god damned dungeon! Get them out of there, get them the help they need, and let them live on the surface and I'll do whatever you want. I'll be your perfect soldier and do all the bullshit missions you ask of me, but not until I know they're safe. You might have them, but if you don't have  _ me _ then it doesn't matter. I'll take my own life if it means that you're left without your strongest soldier, and that's a promise. If you don't do this for me you'll lose the one thing you need to accomplish your goal. Get them out of there, Erwin, or no deal.”

Erwin looked thoughtful for a moment, clasping his hands in front of his face, elbows resting on the smooth surface of the desk, the way he always did when he was thinking about something. Levi had learned to pick up on the signs, the subtle hints that he'd made the infamous Survey Corps Commander ponder his actions.

“Fine,” Erwin finally said, and Levi almost gasped at his decision.

“Fine?” He asked, a loose strand of hair falling into his face.

“Fine. I'll have them placed in a house, I'll get them medical care and make sure they can recover fully. I'll even let you visit them once or twice a week so that you know for sure that I'm keeping my side of the bargain. But, at the first sign of unwillingness to do what you're asked, Levi, I will kill one of them. I'll make you watch, and I'll make it slow so that you know not to cross me again.”

“How do I know you're going to do what you've promised this time?”

“Because _ you're  _ going to give me a reason to keep my word this time. Their lives rest in your hands. Make sure you don't fuck it up.” Erwin placed his hands in his lap then, leaning back in his chair and looking down his nose at Levi. “Now get the hell out of my office and go prep your squad for the mission. And Levi, just remember that I've got eyes everywhere. I know what you're doing at all times, so don't try anything stupid. I may not be able to kill you, but if you betray me you'll wish that I  _ had. _ ”

Erwin smirked as Levi stood in the middle of his office, trying not to let his face betray what emotions were swirling around in his head. He turned slowly to exit the room before he heard Erwin's smug voice again.

“Aren't you forgetting something?” He asked, and Levi knew immediately what it was that Erwin was expecting. He didn't say another word, he just turned to face the Commander and gave him a salute before turning again and exiting the room. Hanji shut the door behind him and as soon as she did he let himself fall back against the wall outside, his eyes closing as he accepted his defeat.

“Heichou,” Petra's voice funneled through the fog in his mind, concerned and close. He opened his eyes to reveal that she was hovering right in front of him, her brows furrowed as she looked at him.

“I've just signed my soul away to protect my friends, even though I have no idea if Erwin will keep up his side of the bargain. Make sure Farlan hears about it.” Levi said before pushing himself off of the wall.

“Don't worry, Heichou, we'll keep them safe. They'll be fine.”

“Somehow I just don't believe he's going to keep his word. He gave it too easily.” He stopped, remembering what Erwin had said to him. He has eyes and ears everywhere. “We'll talk more when we get back to my room.”

Petra didn't say another word, she didn't even protest following him back to his room, not that he was allowed to go back without her anyway. She had effectively served as his escort for the entire day, and it didn't seem like she was going to stop anytime soon. He was thankful that it was her, though. He trusted her, there was no way that she would betray him, he was sure that she could help him with his plan without a doubt. But now he was wondering if he should let anyone else in on the plan.

Erwin was right, he has people everywhere, listening to everything. Reporting back to him. Bringing someone else into this would just make the risk of being caught even higher. All his troubling thoughts were still swimming in his head when they got back to his room and he heard the soft click of the door locking behind them.

“So, does the plan still stand? Should I go get Eld and Gunther?” Petra asked, breaking Levi from his thoughts.

“No. I don't think we should trust anyone else with this.” He answered reluctantly, taking a seat on the small bed that sat against the far wall of the room.

“Not even the members of your own squad?”

“You said yourself that you think Oluo is keeping tabs on me for Erwin. How well do you really  _ know _ Gunther and Eld? Do you know for sure they would be loyal to me?”

“Eld is your second in command within the squad. Do you mean to tell me that the two of you don't trust each other?” Petra looked like she didn't believe a single word coming out of his mouth, and maybe she was right to think that. Levi wanted to trust his squad with this. He wanted to think that they could help him save his friends, that they would stay on his side even through this battle, but he just couldn't be sure.

“I trust Eld to keep me alive, if only because Erwin has ordered him to do so. I'm not sure if he would go along with helping me break two people out of prison. They're fugitives, as far as he knows. And I'm almost positive that he wouldn't agree to help me assassinate the Commander of the Survey Corps.”

“Do you want me to find out who's loyal and who isn't?” Petra asked, arching an eyebrow at the suggestion.

“How?” His tone of voice made it obvious that he thought she might be more than a little crazy at this point, but it didn't seem to faze her.

“It's no secret that there are people within the Corps that don't agree with what Erwin is trying to do. They don't agree with how he just throws away the lives of the soldiers, and they know about your situation, too. Heichou, they know you're here against your will, and they know that something is keeping you here, they just don't know what it is. People hear rumors about these things all the time, and they feel bad for you.”

“Great, I need everyone's pity.” He scoffed, leaning forward and placing his elbows on his knees. Petra rolled her eyes at his comment and kept going.

“I can figure out what Gunther and Eld think about it. I can figure out if they would revolt if they had the chance. All I have to do is get them alone somewhere and ask the right questions.”

“And if you ask something that implies what we're trying to do, and one of them is a spy for Erwin, then all of this planning and scheming will be for nothing.”

“Heichou, can I ask you a question?” Petra crossed her arms over her chest as she spoke but she still waited for his response.

“Go ahead.” He answered cautiously, not sure what she was thinking.

“As long as we've been in this squad together, have I ever let you down?”

Her question caught him off guard. It wasn't something he'd been expecting her to ask. This was a side of Petra that he'd never really experienced. She was confident, and a little cocky, and it made him feel better about her plan.

“No.” He answered after thinking back on everything they'd accomplished as a squad. She blushed a bit, but she carried on.

“Then trust me. I won't do anything to jeopardize the plan and I won't let anyone figure anything out that they aren't supposed to know. For once, stop trying to do it all yourself and let me help you, okay?”

Levi sighed, realizing how exhausted he had become trying to figure all of this out himself, and nodded to her. Today had been a trying day, just the few moments spent with Isabel and Farlan were enough, but everything else he had been through today had really put him through the ringer. He felt fatigue take him over so suddenly that he thought he might just collapse on the bed then and there and sleep through the night. He would never be that lucky.

“You need to get some rest. We need to have a meeting about the mission tomorrow, right? We leave the day after?”

“Yes,” He answered raking a hand through his hair.

“We'll meet you in the library then, around noon so that you can get plenty of sleep.”

“Fine.” He answered, laying back on his bed as Petra walked toward the door.

“Good night, Heichou. I'll see you tomorrow.” Petra's voice seemed far away as Levi closed his eyes, listening to her gentle footsteps and the creaking of the hinges.

“Good night, Petra.” He answered, and he heard the soft click of the door as it closed behind her.

This was all crazy, and she was crazy for going along with it, but maybe that was a good thing. As he drifted off to sleep he kept thinking about what they would need to do when they got back from their mission, and if they could even accomplish any of it.

 

oOo

 

Against Petra's wishes, Levi had only gotten a few hours of sleep before he was up and pacing his floor again. It wasn't unusual for him, the lack of sleep, but it was something that he didn't think he would ever quite get used to. Still, he tried to relax and get in the right mindset for the meeting they would have later in the day. The sun hadn't risen yet, and he was sipping his first cup of mediocre tea for the day while he thought about what he would need to say to his squad to get them ready.

He was surprised to find that the majority of his morning had been spent thinking about Petra. Not for any particular reason, just for the fact that she had agreed to help him without hesitation. He'd only seen that kind of dedication from Isabel and Farlan, and now he was almost sure that their trust in him was irreparably broken. He wondered if Farlan would ever trust him again, or even if he would be able to save his friends from their horrible fate.

These were the kinds of things that occupied his thoughts for the early morning hours and far past the sunrise. He wished for a moment that he could go to the cafeteria and get something for breakfast but realized quickly that Hanji would be bringing that to him soon. Having to be escorted around the grounds had its perks, apparently, and they included having breakfast brought to his room so he couldn't stir up any trouble walking around alone, even if it was just out of the barracks and down the street a block or two.

So, when there was a knock on his door, he stayed seated like he always did, expecting Hanji to invite herself in as usual. He was confused when, after he made no move to open the door, there was another knock. This wasn't like Hanji at all.

Slowly he pushed himself from his seat and walked toward the door to open it. He was more than a little surprised when he opened the door to find Petra standing there with a tray and two covered plates. Surprised, in a good way, though. Petra was much more pleasant company than four-eyes.

“I hope I'm not disturbing you, Heichou. I told Hanji that I could bring your breakfast this morning, she was complaining about how much work she has to get done today. Am I too early?” She asked, a small smile on her face as she held the tray.

“No, come in.” He said, moving to the side and allowing Petra to enter his room. She still seemed timid, maybe a bit scared to be inside the room where he spent all of his time, but she was doing a good job concealing it, for the most part, with smiles and conversation.

She set the tray down on the table and removed the two plates. Levi blinked as he took in the fact that Petra had brought her own breakfast to his room to eat with him. That was something that had never happened before, and he couldn't say it was unwelcome.

He sat down in the same chair he'd been in before Petra had shown up to his room and uncovered his plate to reveal a typical breakfast, and Petra smiled at him directly. It was like staring into the sun. Her smile was so bright that he thought the room might have become a little brighter because of it.

“You don't mind if I join you, right? I thought you might want some company.” She said, sitting down in front of her own plate.

“You can stay if you want.” He answered although he was sure that wasn't exactly the answer she'd wanted to hear. He wished he was better at being personable, if only for her sake, but he was sure that Petra understood his personality by now. Surely she knew that he wasn't trying to be rude to her, it was just the way he worked. He'd always been an abrasive person, he'd been no different when he got to the surface. His squad and everyone he'd ever met had Kenny to thank for  _ that _ personality trait.

“I managed to talk to Eld and Gunther a bit last night after I left here.”

“And?”

“They're worried that Oluo is loyal to Erwin as well.” Petra removed the cover from her breakfast then and started eating. Levi glanced at his mug and realized that Petra didn't have one of her own.

“Do you want tea?” He asked, watching her as she ate. “It's shitty but it's better than nothing.”

“Sure,” She answered, and there was that smile again, lighting up the room and making him feel...happy? Maybe, he wasn't sure. Why would Petra be able to make him feel that way just with her smile, anyway? He shook off the feeling and moved toward the kettle that sat on top of the wood burning stove that kept his room warm, reaching for one of the ugly standard issue mugs and a tea bag and preparing the tea for her. He placed the steaming mug on the table in front of Petra before he took his seat again.

“Thank you,” She said and wrapped her hands around the mug as if to keep them warm. It wasn't even that cold out, but Levi still found the action to be appropriate for her.

“So Oluo can't be trusted. We'll have to find a way around that if we don't want him finding out what we have in store for Erwin.” Levi said, tearing his eyes away from Petra and letting them settle back on his breakfast. It wasn't nearly as interesting as she was, but he kept his eyes trained there as he ate, regardless.

“We can have secret meetings with Eld and Gunther without him knowing. I could even distract him from time to time while you talk with the others about plans.” Petra said it so nonchalantly that it caught Levi off guard.

“You can distract him?” He asked, the words sounding a bit more accusatory than he would have liked.

“Well, I can just spend time with him, you know, keep him occupied and keep his mind off of what you might be talking to the others about. It won't be difficult.” She sipped at her tea, waiting for his approval. He was sure that Petra meant what she was saying in a completely innocent way, but if anyone heard this conversation out of context they might be a bit worried about Petra and Oluo's activities while she was supposed to be distracting him. Levi wasn't even sure why  _ his _ mind had wandered into this territory, but he knew he didn't like the idea of it.

“He doesn't need to be distracted. Plus, I need you to be at the meetings too.”

“I can meet with you at a different time if you'd like. We really need to make sure Oluo doesn't catch on, Heichou. He enjoys my company, he won't be thinking about anything else while I'm with him. You know this is the right thing to do.”

He narrowed his eyes at her. How could he tell her that he was uncomfortable with her being alone with Oluo without giving her the wrong impression? He wasn't sure there was a way to do that, honestly. He just knew that he didn't want Oluo alone with her. He also knew that he probably didn't have a choice in the matter. Petra normally followed orders wonderfully, but Levi thought she might not give up so easily this time.

“Fine,” He grumbled, sipping his tea and grimacing at the taste. Why couldn't they just give him  _ good  _ tea? “You can be the distraction, just watch yourself. He might get suspicious.”

“I'll be fine, Heichou, but I'm flattered that you're concerned about my well being.” Petra smiled as if she knew something that he didn't.

“I'm concerned about the whole squad's well being. If we're caught we'll all be killed or thrown in prison. I'd imagine Erwin will choose the former for you and the others, or worse.” He didn't want to mention what he was thinking out loud, but he knew that Erwin would more than likely torture them before he just killed them, and force Levi to continue to do his bidding. He'd said it himself, he  _ can't _ kill Levi. He's too valuable to Erwin's cause.

“We won't get caught.” Petra put down her fork and shot him a look that he'd never seen on her before. It was something between determination and a sureness in their plan that shook him to his very core. He wanted to look away, but there was something in the back of his head telling him not to.

“You're right,” He finally answered when he'd had enough of Petra's glare. “I trust you, and Gunther and Eld. We won't get caught.”

“Good!” Petra smiled and resumed her work of clearing her plate of all the food that was on it. Petra was a small woman, so Levi was astonished when she was actually able to finish the large plate of food. Petra spent a lot of time surprising him, though, so he had gotten used to it at least a little bit.

A glance at the clock told him that they still had hours before their scheduled meeting with the rest of the squad to go over the mission, but he found himself actually enjoying Petra's company. He didn't really want her to leave, but he wasn't sure that she would want to stay cooped up in his room with him. As if she could read his mind, Petra spoke up.

“Heichou, would you want to get out of here for a little while? I know that you aren't allowed to leave your room without someone escorting you, but I would be willing to show you around the city if that's something you're interested in.”

She sounded so sweet and thoughtful that Levi really wasn't sure how to react. In his time on the surface, no one had really shown him any kind of compassion, but Petra was always the exception. Her kind-hearted and loving nature was a nice reprieve from the ridiculous life he was forced to live.

“You mean you aren't tired of babysitting me yet? After yesterday I was sure you would want rid of me.” His words came out a little more harsh than he'd meant them to, but it didn't faze Petra at all. He found it hard to mask his true feelings about his situation, regardless of how rude it might sound to those around him. He'd never been one for hiding his thoughts from others.

“I'm not babysitting you.” She rolled her eyes as if that was the most preposterous thing she'd ever heard. “I just thought you might want to actually see the outside world. How much of the city have you even gotten to experience since you've been here?”

“Not much.” He answered truthfully, there was no reason to hide anything from Petra.

“Let me show you around and take you to some of my favorite spots in the city before we have to go meet the others. Won't it be nice for you to spend some time outside?”

He couldn't deny that what she was saying was correct. All the time spent underground made him accustomed to not seeing sunlight often, but he longed for it. That was the whole reason he wanted to come to the surface, to see the sun and let it soak into his skin and feel the warmth of it. Not to be locked away in some dank room, still hoping that he can taste freedom one day. He didn't have to think about the offer for very long.

“If you want.”

“You're never very enthusiastic about anything, are you Heichou?” She asked as she pushed herself up from her chair and collected their dirty dishes.

“Hard to be enthusiastic when you're a prisoner.”

“For one day, at least, let's pretend that you're not. I'm not here to keep tabs on you or make sure you don't get into trouble. I just want you to have a good time.” She smiled and he looked at her as if she'd grown another head. He didn't even know anyone on the surface had the capacity to be this unapologetically  _ kind  _ to him. She walked toward the door and Levi followed without another word. This might be strange for him, but he was determined to try and enjoy this time spent with her. It was the least he could do to repay her for her kindness.

He followed her through the hallways of the barracks building, down the stairs and out onto the street. It was strange, leaving the building for something other than a forced meeting with Erwin or an expedition, but it was a welcome change that he thought he could probably get used to.

It was a beautiful day outside, the sun was shining and it was warm, and it was everything that Levi had always imagined the surface to be. His experiences with the outside world were mostly from expeditions, which meant that beautiful days like this one were filled with death and blood-curdling screams from comrades, and that tended to make these kinds of days not so beautiful anymore. Today, though, was different. Today he was walking down the cobblestone streets of Stohess with Petra and he wasn't expected to charge into a bloodbath. Today he was just expected to have a good time. He wasn't quite sure how to react to it all.

“Where are we going?” He asked as he walked beside her, hands shoved into his pockets as he took in the scenery that they passed by.

“If I'm as perceptive as I pride myself on being, I know that you are a big fan of tea.” She answered with a smile. “So we're going to a tea shop not too far away from here.”

“How would you know that about me?”

“Well, considering that every time you took a drink of that awful tea we just had for breakfast you made a face like someone was kicking you in your gut, I'd imagine that you'd like to have something a little better. You're always drinking tea, Heichou, so of course, I would assume that you like it.”

“You're right.” He answered, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. “The tea they gave me really is disgusting.

“So the tea shop will be our first stop, then.”

“Where else do you plan to take me today, Petra?” He asked curiously, the inflection in his voice giving away just how interested he was in this little outing. He hadn't meant for that to happen, but Petra just had a way of drawing things out of him.

“It's a surprise, you'll just have to wait and find out.” She giggled and he almost just stopped dead in his tracks at the sound of it.

This was a side of Petra that he didn't normally see. He was used to seeing her serious, dedicated to the cause that they were fighting for. Fierce and ready to take on anything that anyone threw at her. Now, though, while they walked through the streets together, with no other objective than just going to get tea, he understood why everyone else seemed so fond of her.

“I don't like surprises.” He managed to say in a somewhat annoyed tone. He really didn't like surprises, but he found it hard to be upset about anything that Petra was doing at this very moment.

“You'll like this one, don't worry.”

They walked for a while longer before they stopped in front of a small shop on the street. It was a hole in the wall, really, it didn't look like anything special from the outside, but when they stepped inside his whole opinion on the matter changed. The aroma of different teas hit him as soon as they walked in, and he couldn't help but let himself take in a deep breath and savor the smell.

When he was underground it had been very rare that he was able to find good tea leaves, but here he could tell it wouldn't be a problem. There were so many canisters filled with different teas that he was sure he must have died and was in some strange form of heaven. He felt like a child in a candy store, completely in awe of what he was seeing around him.

“Good morning, what can I help the two of you with?” An old woman standing behind a counter asked as Levi wandered around the shop. Petra immediately answered her, but Levi was too focused on all the different teas, some of which he didn't even recognize the names of.

“Heichou, do you want to have a cup of tea here? I know we just had some, but I thought you might enjoy it.” Petra said, turning back to him from where she stood at the counter, he simply nodded and she ordered tea for the two of them before he followed her back to a table that sat in the corner of the small shop. He had decided that this could easily become his favorite place in Stohess if he was allowed to visit here more often. Perhaps he and Petra could come back here together regularly if she didn't get tired of his company.

“I hope you like the one I picked. It's my favorite.” Petra said as they sat down on opposite sides of the table, facing each other like they were a couple on a date. It was strange, Levi had never been in a situation like this. Would people start to assume things about the two of them if they were seen out together like this? He found it almost impossible to think that anyone would assume anything like that about  _ him _ , but it was still something that nagged at him.

He shook those thoughts from his head, deciding they weren't worth the effort and picked up the delicate china cup that his tea had been served in. He found that he loved everything about this little shop, the more time he spent here the more he wanted to just stay and let all his other responsibilities fall by the wayside.

“Do you like it?” Petra asked as if she was genuinely concerned if she'd made the right choice or not.

“It's good. You made a good choice.” He answered, taking another sip.

“This is the only place I've been able to find this specific kind. I've been coming here since I was a little girl to get this tea. There's really nothing like it.” She sipped her tea and he felt a weird flutter in his chest as he watched her. He turned his attention back to his own tea instead of trying to figure it out, though. Despite his strange feelings, he still found himself wanting to talk to her. He never really found himself  _ wanting _ to talk to anyone, but apparently, she was an exception.

“Thanks, for bringing me here. This is the first good cup of tea I've had in a long time.” He said with a sort of weird scowl that managed to make him look like he was upset that he was thanking her for something. Yet again, Petra was unfazed by his complete lack of experience in anything kind and only smiled in the face of his strangeness.

“We aren't done yet, Heichou. We still have another hour and a half before the meeting. I want to take you to one more place if that's okay.” She answered, finishing off her tea and handing him a small bag that she'd previously placed at her feet. He looked at it for a moment, inspecting the name of the tea shop that was printed on the bag.

“What's this?” He asked although he was sure he knew exactly what was inside. He peered into the bag and saw a canister that confirmed his suspicions.

“I bought you some  _ good _ tea leaves so that you don't have to drink whatever that was that we had with breakfast. It really was horrible, Heichou. I'm sorry the Commander is putting you through that.” Her smile never faltered and now her tone was jovial and light, it almost made him want to smile until he realized that she'd spent her own money on the tea, money that he was sure she didn't have enough of, due to the wages of the Survey Corps. His scowl deepened.

“You didn't have to do that.”

“No, but I wanted to. Just accept them, please. I want you to have at least one thing that you don't hate. Maybe they'll put you in a better mood for our mission tomorrow.”

“I doubt it.” He answered.

“Me too, but at least I tried.” Petra shot back quickly and then pushed herself up from her chair. “Ready for our next stop?”

“Sure,” He answered, finishing off the last of his tea and walking out the door with Petra and his bag of tea leaves in tow.

“This next place is a bit further away, but we'll have enough time to get there and back before the meeting,” Petra said as she began walking down the street at a brisk pace. Levi found himself enjoying his walk with her. She had a certain pep in her step that made him feel as if the world wasn't a horrible place.

It seemed that the titans were the last thing on her mind as she clasped her hands behind her back and walked down the cobblestone street, a smile on her face as she greeted the people around them. The people that stared at Levi like he had two heads and whispered about him as they passed. He thought that just being in Petra's presence might make him look a little better than everyone perceived him, though. The man that was being held captive by the military. The notorious thief and thug from the underground city. He wondered if people would ever see him as anything other than that, but it didn't really matter to him either way. He just wanted to live a quiet life, after all this, and hopefully, he would be able to.

When they began to leave the scenery of the city behind in favor of greener backdrops, Levi wondered where exactly Petra was taking him. He trusted her with everything he had, but he couldn't help but let the questions swirling in his mind come out of his mouth.

“So it's not another shop, then?” He asked, watching her as she waved to yet another person as they passed.

“No, not another shop.” She answered, but that was all the information she gave. It was a little frustrating that she wouldn't just  _ tell _ him. He didn't feel like a prisoner in her presence, but he still felt uneasy being led somewhere that he had never been.

“Then what?”

“Can you just trust me?”

“I do.” He felt strange admitting it out loud, and it would be hard to miss the blush that spread across Petra's cheeks at his admission, but neither of them said anything about it.

“We're almost there,” Petra said quietly, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear as they walked. She wasn't looking forward anymore, instead, she was looking at the ground, maybe in an attempt to hide her burning face, but it didn't work very well.

Finally, they cut off of the street and across a field where a single, large tree sat in the middle. Levi had only ever seen expanses like this outside of the walls, where he couldn't stop to enjoy them. Seeing something like this somewhere that he felt he could enjoy the scenery was almost awe-inducing.

“So this is it.” Petra said, motioning to the tree in front of them. “I know you lived underground for a long time, and that you don't really get to come outside, so I just thought you might enjoy spending some time out here for a while. I come here to think, or just to relax after expeditions or meetings. Do you like it?”

“It's...a tree.” He said, raising an eyebrow at her and looking around. They were completely alone, not another soul as far as the eye could see. The sun was beating down on them, warming Levi's skin and making him feel somehow at ease in this place that he'd never been to before today.

“Well, yes, it is,” Petra answered somewhat awkwardly, sitting down at the base and leaning back against the trunk. “It's a nice place to come when you want to be alone. I know that you can't  _ really _ be alone at any point, but I thought...that maybe we could come here together sometimes? When you want to get away from everything.”

“You'd do that for me?” He asked, not because he was really wondering but because he was taken aback that someone would actually  _ want _ to spend time with him like this. Every other person he'd encountered on the surface tended to keep their distance, but for some reason, Petra just kept coming back. The little giggle she let out at his question made his eyes widen a bit, he hoped she didn't notice.

“Why wouldn't I? You've done a lot for me, Heichou. You handpicked me for your squad even though I was just a shy girl that probably showed no potential. You trust me with your life when we're beyond the walls. You gave me a high military rank and position that I  _ never  _ would have achieved otherwise. I'm part of the most elite squad in the Survey Corps! To say that I haven't been ecstatic since the day you chose me would be a lie. Plus, you just seemed like you might need a friend or...some way to just take your mind off of everything.” She paused, as if she was waiting for him to say something, he just wasn't sure what she wanted him to say.

“So, you feel indebted to me for giving you all these things?” He asked, leaning against the tree beside her. He was sure that wasn't the response she'd expected, but he just needed to hear her say it in certain terms.

“I'll always be thankful to you for what you've given me, but that isn't the only reason. I guess...I just enjoy spending time with you, Heichou. You might not be the most talkative person in the world, you might even be just downright rude sometimes, but at least you don't treat me like a child, like someone that needs to be protected. You treat me as your  _ equal _ , and coming from you that means a lot.”

“I'm not anything special.” He answered, looking away from her. He found it hard to believe how highly Petra thought of him. Like he was some great person that deserved praise. He knew he was anything but that. He knew the things that he'd done to survive underground. Those were things that he couldn't get away from with a change of clothes and a high military rank.

“Why do you always look down on yourself like this? Like you're some horrible person not deserving of anything?”

“You don't know what I've done in the past. How would you know what kind of person I am?”

“Bad people don't devise plans to save their friends from a horrible life. You're not a  _ bad person _ , Heichou.”

“Levi,” He corrected, shoving his hands into his pockets.

“What?”

“When we're alone you can call me Levi. I think you've earned that much since you've been so kind to me today.”

“Okay, Levi.” Petra smiled and closed her eyes, enjoying the peaceful surroundings they'd found themselves in.

“Are you nervous about the mission tomorrow?” He asked, finding that he wanted to try and make conversation with her again. In all his life he had  _ never _ wanted to talk to someone as much as he wanted to talk to her.

“I'm always a little nervous, but we have a good squad, I trust all of you to keep me safe.”

“You don't need anyone to keep you safe. That's why I chose you. You can hold your own out there just as well as the rest of us.”

“Well, I trust all of you to help me if I get myself into trouble, then.”

“We should go back.” It was an abrupt change of subject, but it was the truth and an unwelcome truth at that. Noon was rapidly approaching and they would need to be in the library to meet with the rest of the squad. The mission wasn't really something that Levi wanted to think about, but it was better than trying to puzzle out exactly what Petra was trying to achieve with this little outing today.

“You're right.” She answered, and he offered his hand to help her up from the ground. She hesitated only for a moment before she accepted the offer, and they were on their way back into the city again.

“Let's stop by my room before we go to the meeting. We'll never hear the end of it if the rest of them figure out that you bought this for me.” Levi held up the bag that he'd been carrying the whole day and Petra smiled at him.

“Okay, Levi,” She answered, and they walked the whole way back to the barracks in a companionable silence that Levi was sure he would never be able to share with anyone else.

He wasn't quite sure what this connection with Petra that he was feeling was all about, but he found that he was actually happy about it. Hopefully, though, his happiness wouldn't be short-lived. There was far too little of it since he came to the surface, and he could only hope that Erwin wouldn't snatch this ray of sunshine from his life, too.


	3. Chapter 3

When Levi and Petra got to the library he was thankful to find that the rest of the squad had not yet arrived. He was sure he would have had to endure some kind of comment from at least one of the other men in the squad about his arrival with Petra if they had been there. So, instead of having to shoot comebacks at his squad, Petra and Levi took a seat at one of the empty tables that would be big enough to hold them all when they did arrive.

Levi was still thinking about the pleasant morning he'd spent with Petra, and how she'd admitted that she enjoyed spending time with him. He didn't let himself think too much of it, nothing good would come of that, but he couldn't help but think there was something more behind her words. Something that she wanted him to know but was too shy to say. Her relative silence since their walk back from the field she'd taken him to was another indicator that there was something else that needed to be said. He would ask her about it later, though, because just as the thought hit him, Oluo walked through the door and over to them.

Oluo had always irked Levi for one reason or another. He was a man that Levi never thought he would be able to get along with, and that feeling only intensified when Oluo started mimicking his actions and dressed similarly to him. He could not figure out why the other man felt the need to do any of those things, but he did know that it was probably the most annoying thing on the planet.

“Hello, Oluo,” Petra said sweetly, smiling as their squadmate walked over to them and sat down beside Petra. _Of course_ , that's where he would sit. The man was constantly after Petra's attention for some reason.

“Hello Petra,” Oluo said with a smile, and then looked at Levi. His smile vanished. “Good afternoon, Heichou.”

Levi didn't feel the need to respond to Oluo with words, he just nodded in the other man's direction and kept his gaze forward, toward the door that Gunther and Eld should be walking through at any moment. They all knew how much he disliked tardiness.

Still, he couldn't find it in himself to be angry with Eld and Gunther about anything when they walked in a few moments later. They weren't really what was bothering him. Oluo wasn't even the main source of his foul mood, although he'd helped it along when he chose to sit next to Petra. Levi wasn't exactly sure _why_ that had irritated him so much either. Those reasons, however, were nothing compared to what was really bothering him. Farlan and Isabel were rotting away in a dungeon and he was here talking to his squad about a mission that Erwin was sending them on. He should have been thinking of a way to break his friends out of prison but instead, here he was, sitting around a table in the library going over formations and battle plans.

“Glad you could all make it,” Levi said, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice and failing miserably. Gunther and Eld looked at him strangely for a moment but didn't say a word. “You all know that we're here so that I can brief you on our newest task. The Commander has ordered us to ride to Ragako village inside of wall Rose. It seems to have been attacked by titans.

“Wall Rose is breached, Heichou?” Eld asked inquisitively. If Levi could credit Eld for anything, it was his ability to keep a cool head, even when the most disturbing of news was being relayed to him. That's why he was Levi's second in command for the squad.

“Apparently the first squads that were sent out were not able to find a breach in the wall, no,” Levi answered to the astonishment of his squad. Petra was even gaping at his side as he spoke. He hadn't divulged any of the specifics of their mission to her before.

“How would titans have attacked this village if the wall hasn't been breached, then?” Oluo asked with a smug look on his face. Levi wanted to slap that stupid look right off of him.

“That would be why we're being sent to the village. To find out what _really_ happened.” Levi looked around at his squad, at their baffled and somewhat intrigued faces, and it confirmed for the umpteenth time that he'd picked the right people to fight alongside him. Except for Oluo, maybe, but Levi would be able to remove him from the squad once Erwin was out of the way.

“So,” Gunther said, leaning forward onto the table. It was clear that he was a little worried, but a spark of excitement also shone in his eyes. “When are we leaving?”

“Tomorrow at sunrise. I'd like to get this business over with and get back in a reasonable amount of time. I want everyone at the stables and ready to go as soon as the sun is above the horizon, understood?”

“Yes, Heichou!” They all said simultaneously, earning a 'shhh' from a nearby library patron. Perhaps the library hadn't been the best place to meet, but Levi wasn't about to host them all in his small room.

“Good, you're all dismissed, then.” He said rising from his seat and looking toward the door. Gunther and Eld had already started making their way out of the library, but Oluo had hung back to talk to Petra. Seeing as she was Levi's escort, he had no choice but to stay with her while Oluo spoke.

“Petra, would you like to go and get lunch with me? I'm about to head to the cafeteria now.” Oluo said a sly smile on his face. Levi wanted to smack _that_ look off of him too.

“Oh, thank you Oluo, but I actually had a big breakfast this morning, I'm really not hungry. Plus, Heichou needs an escort to get back to his room and I told him I would walk with him.” Petra answered gracefully. Watching her turn Oluo down was almost like watching someone perform. It was an art, and Petra made it look easy. Levi almost smiled at the sight of it.

“Oh,” Oluo glanced at Levi, who was standing with his arms crossed in front of his chest at the end of the table, and looked him up and down as if he was assessing him as a threat. “Well, if you change your mind you know where to find me when you're done with your work.”

Work. Oluo had just referred to Levi as Petra's 'work' and Levi wanted so badly to say something about it. But what would he say? What _could_ he say that wouldn't shift some sort of suspicion onto himself. He decided to just stay quiet, despite what he wanted to say to the other man. He would have plenty of time to tell Oluo Bozado _exactly_ what he thought of him, but for now, it was smarter to stay quiet.

“I'm ready whenever you are, Heichou,” Petra said with a knowing smile as if she could read his mind and knew how much he wanted to beat Oluo for the backhanded comments he'd just uttered. Levi looked at Oluo one last time before he turned and he and Petra walked out of the library together. He made sure that Petra kept pace at his side instead of walking behind him. He thought maybe it would send a message to Oluo, but he decided the other man would be too stupid to figure something like that out.

They walked in silence for a few minutes before Petra spoke up again.

“So, what was all that about?” She asked when they were clear of the library, an inquisitive and entertained tone to her voice. Levi hadn't thought he'd been too obvious of trying to slight Oluo, but apparently, Petra had caught on. He should have known she would.

“I don't know what you mean.” He answered, trying to steer the conversation away from his somewhat childish and jealous behavior.

“Well, you were certainly looking at Oluo in a strange way before we left.”

“You mean the same strange way he was looking at me?” Levi couldn't help but let it slip. The way Oluo sized him up as if he were trying to determine who would win in a fight, had really gotten under Levi's skin. That wasn't something he would willingly admit, but it had happened nonetheless.

“I noticed that. I did tell you he was jealous of you, Heichou. That's why he does the things he does.”

“Is that also why he got a cravat? To imitate me?” He asked, shoving his hands into his pockets as they walked together toward his room.

“You should see his impression of you when you're not around.” Petra teased and Levi thought he might completely lose his shit before they finally made it to his room.

He wasn't looking forward to being locked inside for the rest of the day, but he supposed he didn't really have a choice. This was how it had always been. Petra had only given him a momentary reprieve. He couldn't expect her to drag him around everywhere she went, after all, he was sure she had her own life outside of the military.

“I...um...I have a few things that I need to do today, to get ready for the mission tomorrow. If you want I can come back and we can go to dinner together later. I know you probably get tired of the cafeteria food, so we can go to a restaurant in the city.” She smiled and brushed her hair behind her ear in a shy way that made Levi want to tell her to calm down, that he would never deny anything she asked of him. “I mean if that's something you might be interested in. I don't want you to think that I'm being overbearing or anything.”

She cast her eyes downward as if to avoid his gaze. Her shyness was endearing, _cute_ , how could she ever think that what she was asking of him would be something that he wouldn't want to do? The idea was absurd to him.

“That sounds nice,” He answered, trying not to sound over eager but still give her an answer that would stop her from feeling so awkward when she wanted to ask him to do things with her. He wasn't really sure what was happening, why he was suddenly so drawn to Petra when she'd just been another soldier before, but he wasn't about to turn her down. He could even find it in his heart to be nice, maybe even _pleasant_ to her.

“Great!” Petra said, perhaps a little louder than she'd meant to. A few other soldiers in the barracks turned to look at them and a blush crept across her face before she spoke again. “I'll see you later then, Levi.”

Her last words to him before she turned and practically ran down the hall were quiet. They weren't alone, but no one could have heard what she said. No one heard her use his name but him, and he thought that her voice might be his favorite way to hear it. He snapped out of it as he placed a hand on the doorknob, a sudden feeling of happiness taking him over. Petra had a way of doing that, it seemed, but he found that he was beginning to like it more and more as time went on.

 

oOo

 

Levi found himself fretting over his appearance way more than he ever had before in the hour leading up to his...what was it? A date? An outing? An...appointment? None of it sounded right. An evening with Petra was just that, time spent with her, a whole evening of conversation and food and just spending time with her. He thought that he might be worrying too much about the whole thing, but that didn't stop it from happening.

He couldn't recall ever being so nervous about anything in his life, and he wasn't honestly sure _why_ he was feeling this way. He didn't even remember being this anxious the day of his first expedition beyond the walls, where this whole mess started. Maybe if he had been more nervous, more aware of what was happening, he could have stopped his friends from being taken captive.

Even now with his impending...whatever with Petra on his mind, the thought of his friends suffering was still looming over him. How could he actually let himself enjoy this knowing that they were locked away in some horrible, dark cell, wondering if they would even survive another week, another day? He knew that Petra would tell him that they would be fine, that she would help him get them out of there and make sure that they were okay, but he still found the thought of them being stuck there while he was preparing to go out and have a good time with her unsettling.

What would Farlan say if he knew? He'd made it quite clear that he thought Petra was the enemy, but he didn't _know_ her, not the way Levi did. If Levi could even say that he knew Petra at all. He hadn't really taken the time to get to know her likes and dislikes, what made her happy, he'd just seen her as another soldier for the cause until recently. Another person that would fight and give up their life for Erwin's mission, if he called for it.

Now he was beginning to see that Petra was _different_ from the rest of the soldiers in the Corps. She cared deeply, and fiercely. She wanted to do anything she could to protect the people she called her friends, and somehow Levi had found himself in that category. He had no idea what he'd done to deserve _that_ honor, and an honor it truly was.

Levi had met a lot of people throughout his life, he knew that human beings were inherently evil at their core, but somehow Petra managed to avoid that darkness. Petra Ral was nothing but a shining beam of light in the dullness of this horrible world. She was pure and meant the best for everyone, no matter their horrible intentions. She saw the best in Levi, even though he knew what kind of monster he truly was. She didn't care about his past, she had never even asked a single question about what happened in the underground city, she only cared about helping him to achieve what he'd set out to do. He only hoped that accepting her help in this mess wouldn't turn out badly for her.

When he decided to let her help he didn't think about what could actually happen to her. This would be dangerous. This was treason. This was directly defying the orders of their military Commander in order to carry out their own goal. Petra could be _killed_ during this mission, but he supposed it wasn't any different than any expedition they'd ever gone on before. Somehow the titans didn't seem like as big of a threat to Petra's safety as Commander Erwin Smith did. Levi wondered how exactly that was.

Regardless of any of those thoughts, he knew it was the right thing to do, and he knew that Petra wouldn’t back down from this challenge even if he asked her to. So, he would just have to go along with their plan and hope that nothing went wrong. If he believed in any kind of god he might have _prayed_ for it, but it was evident to him that no god existed in this cruel, uncaring world.

He could think about all that later, though, because right now someone was knocking softly on his door. Someone, he knew, could only be Petra. He thought for a moment how strange this whole arrangement was. If this was some kind of date shouldn't he be the one picking her up? Shouldn't he be the one taking her out to fancy places and showing her a good time? He didn't have any experience with this kind of thing, and honestly, he wasn't even sure if that was what was going on, he just knew that it seemed backward. He also knew that nothing could really be done to help it at this point. The reason Petra was picking _him_ up for their...whatever this was is because he couldn't go anywhere by himself. When all this was resolved he would pay her back tenfold for all the kindness she showed him.

He opened the door to find Petra beaming at him. She looked absolutely radiant, a bit of her hair was pulled back in a crown braid that circled the top of her head, keeping loose strands of hair out of her eyes. She wore a simple white button up shirt and a long, black skirt, it really wasn't anything special, but Levi thought that she looked lovely. He wasn't sure if that was the type of opinion he was supposed to have of her, but he couldn't stop himself from thinking it regardless.

“Are you ready to go?” She asked, her cheeks a bit pink probably from the way he'd been staring at her since he opened the door. He nodded and walked out, closing the door behind himself and falling into step with her as they left the barracks building.

“Are you going to tell me where we're going this time or is it another surprise?” He asked, managing to keep his tone even, not to give away the weird feelings swirling around inside him.

“Well, it was _going_ to be a surprise, but if you really want to know I can tell you.” She answered, glancing up at him out of the corner of her eye.

“You don't have to tell me.”

“Oh? Have you warmed up to the idea of surprises then?”

“Not really, but I trust that you won't take me somewhere that I'll hate.”

“Well, you pretty much hate everything,” Petra said jokingly, a small smile gracing her features.

_Not you. I could never hate you._

He wanted to speak the words aloud but thought it might be too much. Too awkward. Too forward. Too...something.

They walked for a few blocks before a bar could be seen in the distance. A bar, but it was more than that, too. It was some kind of restaurant as well. Levi was surprised, at first, he never pegged Petra as the type that would spend her time in bars, among the degenerates that frequented them. Much like Petra, though, this bar was more than meets the eye. From the outside, it kind of looked like a dump. Levi's skin crawled just looking at it, the dirty sidewalks and drab exterior making him want to run home and get some cleaning supplies. The outside reminded him too much of the underground, but the _inside_ was a different story.

Much like the tea shop she'd taken him to, the inside of this place made Levi see it in a whole new light. The décor was simple, yet elegant. Pristine, red tablecloths were draped over small tables, a single candle burning in the middle of each of them that gave the whole space a cozy feel. The walls were rough wood but hung with paintings that Levi had never seen the likes of before. Perhaps they were done by a local artist, but he didn't know enough about art to know the difference.

The staff was all dressed in semi-formal attire, although there seemed to be no dress code for the guests. Levi hadn't worn anything special, but he supposed he looked good enough to be in an establishment of this caliber. Overall, he already liked the feel of this place, and the fact that it wasn't very crowded was a plus.

He followed Petra to the podium where the host stood and paid no attention to what was being said before the man walked off and they followed him. They were led to a small table, just big enough for the two of them and somewhat out of the way of the rest of the guests. Levi wondered if Petra had asked for this table on purpose to keep prying eyes off of them.

“Well, what do you think?” Petra asked as they sat down. He briefly wondered if he should have pulled out her chair for her, but this wasn't a date, right? It was just...he still hadn't figured out _exactly_ what it was. Maybe it was just Petra being nice. She seemed to do that a lot.

“There aren't many people here, isn't that a bad sign?” He asked, looking around at the three other couples seated around them. Perhaps Petra was trying to make this into a date without it being an _actual_ date. It was weird. Should he ask about it?

“No! It's just a well-kept secret! I used to come here with...” Petra stopped talking suddenly as if whoever she was about to bring up would be a taboo subject. Perhaps they would. Levi didn't know anything about Petra's life before she came into his, she could have any number of dark secrets lurking under her bright and cheery exterior. “Um, I just used to come here all the time. The food is really good, I think you'll like it.”

“Petra, what exactly...” He paused, although before he'd started speaking he'd decided that he was just going to ask her what exactly they were doing here together, now he found the words hard to say. He was nervous again, almost just as nervous as he'd been before he'd left his room and he found it so infuriating that Petra could make him nervous but titans trying to devour him didn't faze him at all. He finally just barreled through his anxieties and attacked the issue head-on. Nothing would come of this weird middle ground they were both softly treading through. “What is this?”

“What?” She seemed like she was confused, but the blush on her face said otherwise.

“Why did you ask me here tonight? Why do you really want to spend so much time with me? I know that you're a genuinely nice person, Petra, but I'm not used to even nice people being nice to _me_. No one likes to spend time with me. I'm rude. I'm crass. I'm abrasive. I'm basically everything that someone like you should be repulsed by. So why?”

Petra's eyes were wide as if she hadn't expected this sudden outburst. Really, though, who would expect something like that? Especially coming from _him_ , of all people. She blinked quickly as if to try and regain her composure, and she was about to speak when the waiter came to the table and interrupted the moment. Levi rolled his eyes and slumped back in his chair with an audible sigh as the waiter read off the restaurant's specials. Petra ordered something, Levi hadn't heard what, and he just ordered the same thing.

“And a scotch, neat,” He added just as the waiter turned to walk away. He looked back to Petra and saw that her hands were in her lap, probably fidgeting with the edge of the napkin that she'd placed there. Her eyes were turned downward and she was biting her lip every so slightly as if she was really struggling with what she was about to say. Shit. He'd made her uncomfortable. Well, that was the last thing he'd been trying to do.

“Levi, I told you before...I just really like spending time with you. I know that's hard for you to understand but all those things that you listed...well, they just don't seem to apply to me. Yes, you are rude and crass and abrasive and _angry_ , but you've never been any of those things to _me_. Is it really so hard to fathom that I might enjoy your company? I want us to be more than just comrades, I want us to be...friends.” Petra's eyes were sparkling with something that Levi couldn't quite pin down as he watched her. He could tell there was more that she wanted to say, but she hadn't felt the need to say it, and he wasn't going to pry.

He'd gotten his answer, though, she apparently wanted to be his friend. It was strange to him that something like that could even happen on the surface. As far as he knew everyone up here just thought of him as another random thug, someone blackmailed into joining the Survey Corps because of the crimes he'd committed underground. To Petra, though, he seemed to be someone else entirely.

“Oh,” He answered, and he knew that wasn't exactly what she was expecting but he couldn't even form any other words at the moment.

“Is that...okay?” She asked timidly, arching an eyebrow.

“Of course.”

“That's good. You were scaring me.” She smiled sweetly but that sparkle of...something never left her eyes. He didn't have to dwell on it much longer, because their food was arriving, along with his drink, and he didn't think he'd ever been so happy to see alcohol in his life.

He watched her as she dug into her food, not hesitating for even a moment after it was placed in front of her. He was always astonished how much she seemed to love food, but there were many things astonishing about Petra Ral. His lips turned up at the corners ever so slightly as he watched her. Any passerby wouldn't have known that it was a smile, but he just couldn't help it when he was looking at her.

Suddenly his thoughts turned to something far more grim. The mission tomorrow. Bright and early. The first mission they'd been on in quite some time, and it was coming all too soon. This new friendship came with its downsides, and one was that he found himself worried about Petra being in the field. It wasn't anything new for him. He'd been worried about Farlan and Isabel too, on their first mission outside the walls. He'd wanted to stop them from going, but they refused, and with Petra, he didn't have a choice.

Besides the fact that Petra was generally just hard headed and would not back down from any challenge, it would be strange for him to order a member of his squad to stay back during an important mission. The more important thing, however, was that Erwin would then know of his special feelings toward one of his squad mates, and he would surely use that against him. He couldn't allow that to happen. He wouldn't let another one of his friends be taken by Erwin Smith.

“Your food will get cold if you don't eat,” Petra said, her somewhat strange motherly instincts apparently kicking in and breaking Levi out of his troubling thoughts. He looked down at his food for the first time since it arrived. It was soup, although he wasn't sure what kind, but it didn't matter much. Anything would be better than what they would have found in the cafeteria. He sipped his drink before he started to eat as well.

“About the mission tomorrow, I want to try a different formation while we ride toward the town.” He started and Petra looked up at him eagerly, as if what he was about to say was something incredibly interesting. “I thought we could try kind of a 'v' shaped formation. I'd be the middle, you and Eld would be behind me and to my left and right flanks, and Gunther and Oluo would be behind the two of you. It'll be fairly spread out, still, in order to scout for titans, but I think it'll be effective.” _And it'll allow me to better keep an eye on you_.

“That sounds interesting! I'm sure whatever you decide will be fine.” She smiled and turned her attention back to her soup, but didn't offer much criticism on his idea. He would take that as a good thing. That meant that she hadn't caught on to his true intentions of changing the formation.

He was about halfway through his own meal when he felt an eerie sense of unease wash over him. It wasn't that anything, in particular, had changed about the restaurant, but he felt as though someone was watching him now. He glanced up at Petra in time to see her face pale before she immediately looked down at her soup. Something was very wrong, and he had the feeling he knew exactly what that something was. All of his feelings were confirmed when he heard slow footsteps walking up behind him. He turned his head to the side just in time to see Erwin stop beside their table.

“Lance Corporal,” Erwin's deep baritone sounded around the small space, echoing through every corner of the room and rattling the both of them to their core. They weren't doing anything wrong, Levi knew that he knew that he was allowed to go anywhere he wanted as long as he had an escort, but that wasn't what he was worried about.

Levi hadn't wanted Erwin to know of the friendship he'd formed with Petra, and by the look of her, she hadn't wanted him to know either.

“Commander,” Levi answered, trying to keep the malice out of his voice and failing miserably.

“I didn't expect to see you here, and with such lovely company. Am I interrupting your date?”

“It's not a date!” Petra said a little too quickly, and Levi's eyes narrowed only slightly as he watched her before he turned his attention back to Erwin.

“Ah, forgive me. Just friends enjoying a candlelit dinner together, then.” Erwin's eyes had settled on Petra and Levi could swear that he saw her _trembling_. Was she worried about the same thing Levi had been worried about just moments ago?

“We were actually discussing the mission for tomorrow,” Levi spoke up, trying to tear Erwin's attention away from Petra.

“Is that so?” Erwin asked, only glancing at Levi for a moment before he continued to watch her. If he was trying to send a message, Levi was getting it loud and clear. “Well, I hope the discussion is fruitful. I'll leave the to of you to it, then.”

Erwin looked at Levi one more time before he turned to go to his own table, and that single look was all he needed to know that Erwin was plotting something. Levi didn't plan to disobey the Commander again, so Erwin shouldn't have any reason to take action against him, but Levi knew the Commander well enough to know that he didn't really _need_ a reason for anything he did. The uneasy feeling Levi had before only grew larger.

“Let's go, Petra. I've lost my appetite.” He said, pushing himself from his chair and downing the rest of the liquor left in his glass before laying some money on the table and walking away. Petra followed swiftly after him, but he could tell she was shaken from the encounter. Having the icy blue gaze of the Commander fixed on her for so long was probably the reason for that.

“I was going to pay.” She said as they walked out and onto the street. Her voice was a bit shaky before she took a deep breath to calm herself.

“You paid for the tea.” He answered.

“Levi, are you okay?” She asked quietly as they passed another couple on the street. Their pace was quick, but he didn't think Petra would mind.

“Are you?” He asked, glancing at her. “You were shaking.”

“I-I'm fine!” She said quickly, crossing her arms over her chest. She was in that defiant mood again, the one she got in when she thought that people were taking pity on her. In a way, Levi supposed that he was, but not because he thought she was pitiful. He was genuinely concerned for her well being.

“I'm glad to hear it.” He answered. “Let's just get home. We need plenty of rest for the mission tomorrow.”

“Sure.” She looked down at the cobblestones as they walked and Levi knew he needed to say something else. Petra was supposed to be happy, chipper, she wasn't supposed to be looking down and feeling bad about anything.

“Thank you, for the dinner. It was way better than anything from the cafeteria. We should go back sometime.”

That did it. She looked up at him, her eyes wide and a smile to match plastered on her face.

“Of course!” She answered, and just like that everything seemed right with the world again.

The rest of the walk back to his room was relatively silent. The only sounds were of their feet scuffing against the cobblestones and the hushed whispers of those around them as they realized who exactly Levi was. Still, when they arrived at his door he found himself not ready to part. He was worried about her, he realized, and for good reason. The way Erwin looked at her would haunt his dreams if he was ever able to sleep. Against his better judgment, he did the only thing he could think of.

“Would you like to come in?” He asked, and he thought he might have to prompt Petra to _breathe_ again because her breath hitched and he didn't see her take another one for a long time.

“If that's okay.” She answered sheepishly. He didn't say anything in response, he just opened the door for her and waited for her to walk in, hoping that she would take what he was about to say to her well and not try to punch him out for it instead. It could really go either way.

Once the door was closed and locked securely behind them he mustered the courage to speak again.

“Are you scared?” He asked, and he could tell that she was confused.

“Of you?” She raised an eyebrow.

“No, of Erwin. I saw the way he was looking at you like he's scheming. I don't like it. Are you scared of him?”

“I would be lying if I said it wasn't a little unsettling.” Petra sat down in one of the chairs around Levi's small table and he walked over to put the kettle on for tea, he thought they might both need some after what had just happened.

“You know what he did to my other friends. You've seen it with your own eyes.”

She shivered at the thought of what he'd said, wringing her hands in her lap as he spoke.

“I don't want to put you in danger, Petra. Not any more than I already put you in by choosing you as a member of my squad. I want to make sure that you're safe.”

“Don't be silly.” She started, turning to face him. “Erwin wouldn't do anything to me.”

She didn't sound the least bit convincing.

“Will you stay here tonight? To put my mind at ease?”

“What?”

“I know it might be...strange, and I know that you can take care of yourself, but what he's done to Isabel and Farlan isn't something that I can forget so easily. I take care of my friends, Petra, I don't want to see that happen to you. So please, for my sake, just stay here. You can have the bed. I don't sleep much anyway.”

“But you do need to sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day.” She argued, but he could tell her resolve was weakening.

“I can sleep in the chair, I prefer it anyway.” He motioned to a chair in the corner as he spoke and watched as her eyes slid over to it, then back to him. “Is that a yes, then?”

“Will you really be able to sleep in that thing?”

“Much better than if I were worrying about you.”

“Fine.” She sighed in a show of frustration but he could tell by the way that her shoulders slumped forward that she was secretly relieved that he'd asked her to do this. “But you know the others will talk.”

“You've been showing up with me everywhere anyway, they won't talk any more than they already are.”

“Thank you, Levi. Truth be told, I really am kind of worried about the way that he was looking at me. I don't know what he's thinking but...it can't be anything good.”

“That's exactly what I'm worried about.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is probably just a tad shorter than most of the other chapters, but I hope you all enjoy it all the same! The story is starting to pick up! This chapter is also the major part of the story that makes it canon-divergent, so just keep that in mind while reading!

Petra had been right to worry about Levi's quality of sleep, but it wasn't because he was in the chair. He stayed awake because he was afraid of what might happen if he were to close his eyes. He was afraid of who might sneak into the room while they both slept. He stayed awake for fear that someone would be sent to capture Petra and keep her captive to be held over his head as well as Isabel and Farlan. He may have been wrong in that line of thought, though.

Erwin probably knew how important Petra's presence on the mission would be, and he wouldn't want to put his soldiers in unnecessary danger, would he? He'd done it before, but would he put the lives of his most elite soldiers on the line to keep Levi from straying? Levi was sure that Erwin wouldn't want to risk it. Of course, that line of thought only came to him after he'd sat up most of the night.

Petra had been able to fall asleep relatively quickly after she laid down in the bed. Her breathing evening out within minutes of her head hitting the pillow. Levi wondered how anyone could go to sleep so quickly when he'd struggled with it his entire life, but most people weren't like him. He tended to forget that  _ he _ was the odd one out most of the time. Maybe one day Petra could help him figure out how to sleep so soundly, but tonight he wasn't so lucky.

He managed to get a few hours of sleep before he got up to start his preparations for the mission. He would have to go to the stables early to get his 3DM gear, Erwin didn't allow him to keep a set in his room, for obvious reasons.

He looked over toward the bed to see that Petra was still sleeping soundly and wondered if he should wake her. Surely her internal clock would be going off any moment now, but he didn't want to be late, either, especially since he always made such a fuss about the rest of the squad being late.

He padded across the room quietly and stood beside the bed for a moment. How exactly does one wake someone up gently? He felt like touching her would be too personal, too intimate when they hadn't ever shared any kind of contact like that before. He rolled his eyes, knowing that he was being ridiculous, and placed a gentle hand on Petra's shoulder. She stirred ever so slightly, moving into his touch before he shook her as gently as he could.

“Petra, it's time to get up, we need to be at the stables soon.” His voice was softer than he thought he'd ever heard it before. It reminded him of the way that his mother used to wake him in the mornings.

As soon as she realized what was happening and where she was she practically bolted out of the bed.

“Um, thanks,” She said, scrubbing the sleep from her eyes with her hands and moving toward the door. “I just need to go to my room to grab a few things and get my gear on and then we can go.”

He only nodded, but he was sure she didn't see it. She was out the door so quickly that he wondered if she was just running away from  _ him _ . For some reason, she seemed extremely flustered at the thought that he was waking her up. Or maybe it was that she'd slept in his bed all night? She did seem a bit uneasy about even staying the night before when he asked her. He would have to ask her about all that later.

When she finally arrived back at his door, fully geared and ready for combat, they headed toward the stables. The air was cold this early in the morning, and it raised goosebumps on Levi's skin as they walked hurriedly to their destination. When they arrived, Levi wasted no time getting into his gear, securing it to his body with the belts and straps that he'd equipped before he left his room. He finished with only a few seconds to spare before Oluo waltzed into the barn.

“Good morning Petra!” Oluo said pleasantly, smiling down at the petite woman as he walked toward her. Levi was suddenly glad that he was standing right next to her. Oluo being close to her made him feel sick. “Heichou, you look like death. Didn't get much sleep, huh?”

“Insomnia's a bitch, what's your excuse for looking like shit?” Levi snapped back in his usual bothered tone. Petra's eyes went wide for a moment and Levi could have sworn that he saw her smile just a bit before she composed herself. Oluo just glared at him for a moment and went over to the stall that his horse was being held in.

“You really do look tired, Heichou, are you sure you're okay?” Petra asked when she was sure Oluo wasn't paying attention. She looked worried, but he should have seen that coming, she always looked worried when she thought he wasn't getting enough rest. It had been a running theme since the first day they were all officially a squad.

“I'll be fine. I never get much sleep anyway.” He replied as he walked over to his horse and began to saddle it for the mission. Petra side eyed him as she worked on saddling her own horse, but he chose to ignore it. She would be hovering over him for the entirety of the mission because of his lack of sleep, he could already tell. He just had to try not to let that bother him.

Gunther and Eld had just arrived as Levi finished tightening the girth of the saddle on his horse, and he nodded to the two squad members that Petra had confirmed he could trust. They didn't say anything to him but worked on getting their horses ready to leave. The sun would be rising soon, and that would mark the start of their mission, but for now, Levi had a few moments to relax.

Once he was done with his horse, Eld strode over toward where Levi and Petra were standing together. He looked serious, but he always did before missions. Eld was Levi's second in command, and there was a reason why he'd picked him for that job. He always took their expeditions very seriously, and Levi knew that Eld would never let any of their squadmates die if he could help it. Today, though, the look on his face was a bit different from other times. There was something behind that serious expression that Levi knew they couldn't talk about right now.

“Heichou, I think we're all ready to go. Is there anything we need to go over before we head out?” Eld asked. The man towered over Levi, but he didn't really find it intimidating. Most people towered over him, it seemed, but it still irked Levi that he had to look up to someone that was supposed to be his subordinate.

“Our riding formation has changed a bit. We'll be in a 'V' this time. The long-range scouting formation doesn't work for a group of our size, so I want to make sure we can stay close to each other. I want you and Petra behind me, Oluo and Gunther in the back. Understood?”

“Yes, Heichou, I'll go let the others know.” Eld saluted, a gesture that Levi didn't normally require of his squad, but somehow it felt different this time. It felt like Eld wanted him to know that he was on Levi's side. Levi looked at Petra and she smiled at him sweetly before she mounted her horse and Levi followed suit. Once they were all gathered together, Levi spoke again. He'd never been one for the dramatic, motivational speech, but he did have something to say.

“I want this mission to be executed cleanly. No stupid mistakes, no casualties. We're all coming back from this alive. The squads that were sent ahead of us said that there were no titan threats, but I want all of you to remain on your guard.” He said, watching the faces of his comrades as he spoke. Eld, Gunther, and Petra all looked somewhat inspired by his words, but Oluo was staring off into the distance somewhere. Levi turned his horse to make his way toward the gate and everyone followed, and by the time they were riding out he had forgotten all about Oluo's slights.

Levi had always had a habit of looking toward the sky when he rode through the gates. He'd done it ever since his first expedition, and much like the first time, today it looked like rain.

Before that first expedition, he never really got to see the sky, so it was a tradition that he couldn't bring himself to let go of, just looking up and admiring the vast blue expanse. Back then it made him feel free, to be above the ground and riding out beyond the walls with Isabel and Farlan by his side doing the same. Now, it just reminded him that, until he broke free of the chains that are the Survey Corps, he would always be like a caged animal. A bird in a cage. A captive.

“Heichou, can you stop cloud watching and pay attention? You were just telling us to be on our guard.” Oluo shouted at him. Ah, so he had been paying attention. As much as Levi hated to admit that Oluo was right about something, he snapped his head forward and focused on the wilderness in front of them.

The ride wouldn't take them long. They would just have to go from Stohess district to Ragako, check out what was happening there, and come back home. Hopefully what they would find would be uneventful, but Levi couldn't allow himself to become too comfortable with the situation. Just because he didn't believe them to be in any danger didn't mean that they  _ weren't _ . Erwin was known to hide details, and he had done a lot of that with this mission. There was something more to this. Something sinister that he wanted Levi to find out for himself. He still needed to stay on his guard, despite what all the other squads said.

He looked back to his left, where he'd stationed Petra, and he would have thought that she didn't even notice the gesture until he saw her eyes slide toward him. He'd told himself all throughout the night that he wouldn't worry about her today, that she could hold her own, but there was a creeping feeling in his gut that just wouldn't go away. The feeling that they were all in danger, and that he needed to protect her.

The formation spread out only a bit after they cleared the gate of Stohess, making it easier for them to ride and look for threats. He kept Petra and Eld close, the two people that he could trust the most, in his eyes, and focused on the mission.

So far there hadn't been any sign of titans. He was beginning to think that Erwin had lied to him outright until they reached the outskirts of the village they'd been headed for.

Ragako stood in ruins. The houses were smashed in, fences were broken and the town looked like a shell of what it used to be. They all came to a halt, stilling their horses near the stables where, shockingly enough, the town's horses still stood.

“Gunther, Oluo, go check the other side of the village for survivors. Eld, do a sweep of the perimeter to see what you can find.” Levi ordered and his squad nodded and took off to their tasks. Levi and Petra dismounted their horses and began to look around where they'd stopped.

“There isn't any blood,” Petra said as her eyes scanned the roads and houses.

“Not a single drop,” Levi answered, and then his attention turned back to the horses. “We'll have to search the rubble for bodies, but I suspect we won't find any of those either, and that doesn't make much sense considering the fact that all of these horses are still safely inside their stalls.”

“What do you think happened?”

“I have no idea, but I don't think it's anything good.”

“Do you think...” Petra paused, unsure of what she was about to say.

“What?” He asked, knowing that there was more.

“Do you think that Erwin  _ knows _ what happened here?”

“It wouldn't be surprising if he did. He sent us here for a reason. I don't know what that reason is, but he wants me to know something, I'm sure of it. Whatever we find here, we'll have to puzzle out what it means for me.”

They were quiet for a long moment, thinking about the possibilities before they heard hurried hooves trotting up behind them. Eld reigned his horse to a halt just before he reached them, a panicked look on his face, and Levi knew that he'd found something.

“What is it?” He asked, prompting Eld's panicked response.

“You need to see this, Heichou. Please, come with me.”

Levi and Petra mounted up again and followed Eld further inside the village. It was eerie how quiet the place seemed for how utterly destroyed all the buildings were. If titans weren't the cause of this, Levi wasn't sure what  _ was _ .

And that's when he saw what Eld had been so worried about.

In front of them, lying on a completely destroyed house, was a large titan with blonde hair staring at them with dead, gold eyes. The titan's arms and legs were so thin and frail that Levi was sure they weren't in any danger of it getting up and attacking. He doubted there was even any muscle in the limbs to allow the titan to lift them. It just laid there, staring at them, mouth agape as they looked on.

“How...” Petra started, but it seemed like her words were caught in her throat.

“I don't know,” Eld answered as if he could read her mind. “There's no way it could have walked here. Look at it. Its legs are completely useless. The only way it could have gotten here is if...”

“It was placed here.” Levi chimed in, confirming what Eld and Petra both had to be thinking. He'd never experienced anything like this before, and he had no explanation for it, but he couldn't think of any other way for this particular titan to have appeared here.

“How can that be possible?” Petra asked, never taking her eyes off of the titan. It might have been apparent that the titan couldn't move, but Petra clearly didn't trust it. Her instincts outweighed the evidence in front of her, although her wits were still about her. Petra really was an extraordinary person.

“I don't know how, but that’s the only explanation.”

“What about the other people in this village? This titan couldn't have eaten them if it can't move.” Eld said as he looked at the wreckage that was Ragako village. “It doesn't make any sense.”

Eld was correct in saying that none of this made any logical sense, but they were still unaware of where titans even came from. Was it so inconceivable to think that titans could be a form of human? They looked enough alike, but that was the only similarity. Levi thought himself crazy for even allowing the thought to cross his mind, but still...

“Heichou,” Petra almost whispered his title, tearing her eyes away from the titan just long enough to look him dead in the eyes. “This might sound crazy but, what if the people of Ragako  _ were _ the titans that attacked? I...I don't know how or why, but if the people turned into titans it would explain why the town is destroyed but there's no blood. It would explain why all the horses are still here, and it would explain why this titan is here, lying on this house, without any way to get here. You said yourself that you thought they were placed here. What if they were  _ made _ here.”

“Who would be able to do such a thing? And how?” Eld asked the question, but Levi already had the answer in the back of his mind.

Who had the power to perform titan research? Who had a twisted enough mind to perform experiments like this on innocent people? Who sent them to this godforsaken village in the first place?  _ Erwin Smith. The bastard Commander of the Survey Corps _ .

“It was him.” Levi's voice was barely above a whisper, but Petra heard him immediately and turned to face him. “He knows. That son of a bitch knows what caused this. He sent us here for a reason, and I'm willing to bet that it wasn't for us to figure it out for him. He's always several steps ahead of everyone else. He knows how it happened. He might even know how to  _ make _ it happen. We need to go back to Stohess,  _ now _ .”

“Heichou, what are you talking about?” Petra asked. He wasn't sure if she was playing dumb in front of Eld or if she just wasn't following, but he didn't have time to explain it right now. Erwin wanted Levi to know this for a reason, and that reason was that  _ this _ was how he planned to hurt Isabel and Farlan. This was what Erwin was planning to do to them if Levi disobeyed again. It wasn't a mission to figure out what happened in Ragako, it was a threat.

“Eld, go and get Gunther and Oluo, we're leaving immediately. I need to talk to the Commander.” Levi was gritting his teeth so hard that he was surprised he was even able to choke out the words he'd just said. As soon as Eld left them, Petra moved her horse up beside him. She spoke only loudly enough for him to hear her.

“Levi, what are you thinking?”

“This is a threat from Erwin.  _ He's _ the one that did this. He likely had another squad, one of the ones that were here before us, exterminate all the titans that actually posed a threat. They left this one as a message to me. He wants me to know that this is the fate of all of my friends if I cross him again, Petra. This is what he'll do to Isabel and Farlan...to you.”

Petra seemed to be shocked into silence, and for good reason. Levi had dropped a bombshell on her. He didn't know how he would react if someone had told him this very information, but the look on Petra's face pretty much summed it up for him. She looked scared. She looked worried. And  _ he _ was the reason for it. This, he reminded himself, is why he didn't make friends after Isabel and Farlan. This was exactly what he'd been afraid of. Now he would have to do everything in his power to keep her away from Erwin. To keep her safe, because he had no idea what Erwin's next move was, and that was perhaps the most frightening part.

 

oOo

 

The rain started shortly after they left Ragako, and by the time they got back to the gate at Stohess they were all completely drenched. Oluo, Gunther, and Eld had put their horses away and taken leave as soon as Levi approved it, and he and Petra were the only ones that remained in the stables.

His head had been swimming the whole ride back. Swimming with the thoughts of what Farlan and Isabel would look like as titans. Whether they were still in that same cell where he saw them just two days before. What Erwin was planning to do next. It was all too much for him to think about as he fumbled with the buckles of his 3DM gear.

“Let me help you.” Her voice was muffled by the loud sound of the rain hitting the ground outside the open doors of the stables, but she'd spoken softly anyway. Petra's hands were on the buckle on his chest faster than he could react to what she'd said, and soon she'd helped him rid himself of the gear that was weighing him down. Somehow, though, he didn't feel any lighter. He felt as though a huge weight was sitting on his shoulders. One that he wasn't sure he could carry on his own.

“What do we do now?” He asked although he'd meant to keep that thought to himself. Also the word 'we' had been 'I' in his mind, but his mouth betrayed his thoughts and included Petra in this dangerous game he was playing with Erwin.

“We need to get them out of that dungeon sooner rather than later,” Petra said, her voice still so hushed that he could barely hear it over the sound of the heavy rain.

“It seems impossible.” He said, running a hand through his soaked hair.

“Let's go back to the barracks and get some dry clothes. We can talk more about it there.”

They walked slowly out of the stables and didn't pick up their pace once they were in the rain again. It didn't matter much, they were both completely soaked from their ride back to Stohess, and Levi couldn't bring himself to rush. In fact, the rain felt somewhat soothing in his current state. Maybe if he stayed in it long enough it would wash away all the self-doubt that he was feeling. Maybe it would wash away this horrible, hopeless feeling that had sunk into his bones.

By the time they reached his room, he'd completely numbed himself to what had happened. Now the only thing left for him to think of was revenge. Revenge for what Erwin had already done to his friends, and hopefully action fast enough to stop Erwin from hurting them any more.

“Levi, I'm going to my room to change clothes. I'll be right back. Please change into something dry while I'm gone.” Petra's voice once again broke through the fog of his thoughts before she headed toward her room. She glanced at him once more before he walked inside and looked around. He was in a fog, but he could at least dress himself.

He took off the soaked clothes from their mission and hung them over the door of the bathroom to dry before he changed into something drier and warmer. He'd begun to shiver a bit, but he wasn't sure if that was nerves or the chill he'd gotten from being in wet clothes for so long. It didn't matter, anyway. There were more important things to think about at the moment.

A knock sounded on the door indicating that Petra had returned from her room. He hadn't realized just how close it was to his in the barracks until tonight, but he was secretly glad for it. If anyone was welcome around him right now it was her. She would be able to help him through this, to figure out what the next move would be.

“Come in.” He said the words loudly enough so that she could hear them through the door and she wasted no time obeying. She was wearing an old t-shirt and some lounge pants but she still looked just as beautiful as she ever had.

There was that word.  _ Beautiful _ . Invading his thoughts about Petra and ingraining itself into his image of her. Before she'd just been strong. Intelligent. Quick on her feet. Now she was all those things, plus beautiful. It was hard for him to understand why that word had snuck into his definition of Petra Ral, but he could accept it.

“How are you feeling?” She asked, closing the door behind her and walking toward where he sat on the bed. She didn't get too close, stopping in the middle of the room as if she hadn't just slept in this bed the night before.

“Cold, but I'll be fine.” He looked up at her again, examining her towel dried hair that was still kind of a mess. “And you?”

“I'll be fine, Levi, don't worry about me.” She smiled and he suddenly felt a little warmer.

“You can sit down if you want. I'm sure you're just as tired as I am.”

“Thanks,” She answered, hesitantly walking over to the bed and sitting down beside him. She seemed stiff like she was uncomfortable sitting there with him, and it completely baffled him.

“We need to do something about this.” He said suddenly, shifting their conversation to the topic that had been plaguing him since Ragako.

“What exactly do you plan to do?” Petra asked, clasping her hands in her lap as she spoke as if she was afraid to put them anywhere else.

“I want to make sure that Erwin can't hurt them anymore. There are two options for that. We can go break them out now, or we can go for Erwin now. Those are the only two choices we have, that I can see.”

“You want to try to kill him tonight?” She asked, her eyes suddenly going wide at the implications of what he'd said. He knew it was rushed, but he  _ had _ to do something. He couldn't allow Erwin to turn Isabel and Farlan into mindless titans, cursed to roam around outside of the walls for the rest of their days. Until Levi was sent to kill them. He wasn't sure he would even be  _ able _ to kill them under those circumstances.

“Unless we can figure out a way to get Isabel and Farlan out of that dungeon immediately, it's the only option we have.”

“I understand that you're scared, Levi, but don't you think we need to think this through a little more?”

“Don't you get it?” His voice was louder now, louder than he'd ever been with Petra before. He didn't want to act this way toward her, but the fatigue he felt from the mission and his general stress about the situation didn't afford him much control over his emotions. “Erwin is already five steps ahead of us. If we don't act soon he'll win! He'll get exactly what he wants!”

“And you don't think that putting you in this state of mind is something that he wants too?” Petra asked, and now  _ her  _ voice was louder than he'd ever heard it before. He'd never heard Petra yell like this, not unless the situation in the field demanded it, and now that frustration was aimed at him. “He's trying to make you throw rational thought out the window and just attack! He wants a reason to punish you, to make you suffer! If you don't act against him he doesn't have a reason to hurt them.”

“He doesn't need a reason. He can do whatever he wants when it comes to them! The monarchy won't stop him, that's for damn sure. They probably don't even know he has Isabel and Farlan as his prisoners.”

“You don't need preemptive revenge, Levi, you need rest. You need to make sure you're not doing something stupid before you just act. You're smarter than this. If you make these kinds of decisions you let him win. Just...promise me that you'll stay here and get some sleep tonight. We can talk about it more in the morning when you're thinking more clearly.”

“Fine,” He replied, although he didn't like what he'd agreed to. Every moment they spent waiting was another moment Erwin had to plan his next step. Levi doubted he would be able to sleep with that knowledge, but he would try.

“Promise me, Levi.” Petra looked kind of stern now, motherly almost as she spoke to him.

“I promise I won't go out in the middle of the night and try to kill Erwin. I couldn't do it without help anyway.”

“Thank you.” She rolled her eyes and smiled a bit before she pushed herself up off of the bed. “I'm going back to my room now unless you still need me to stay.

“I'm fine.” He answered, and she turned to make her way toward the door. “Petra,”

“Levi?” She asked, turning back to look at him again.

“I'll see you tomorrow.” It came out of his mouth more as a question than he'd meant it to, but he couldn't go back now. He wasn't even sure what had prompted him to say that kind of thing, but it was something he wanted to confirm. He wanted to hear her say it so that he knew she planned to see him again in the morning.

“I'll see you tomorrow.” She said with a smile and walked out the door, closing it softly behind her.

He let himself collapse on the bed, then. Curling up under the covers and letting their warmth lull him into a half-awake state. His sheets didn't smell the same as they normally do, though. They smelled like fresh rain, like dew in the mornings when the sun is just rising over the horizon. He realized after only a moment that this must be what Petra smells like, and that realization sent him to sleep faster than he'd ever fallen asleep before.

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, hi, this story was due for an update. I'm sorry it took a bit longer than I promised before, but hopefully, this chapter is well worth it!

Levi woke up the next day to find that he'd slept through the whole night. He wasn't sure if it was because of mental and physical exhaustion or the comforting smell of Petra that lingered on his sheets, but he was happy for it, regardless.

It was only after his sleep-addled mind had fully regained consciousness that he had the sense to be _worried_ about Petra. Why he hadn't thought to ask her to stay in his room again was a mystery to him. He could only chalk it up to the fact that he was so preoccupied thinking of everything else that had happened, the thought never crossed his mind that she might still be in danger.

He hoped that he was just overreacting, that Petra would be knocking on his door any moment and bringing him breakfast and smiling at him in that way that she always did because nothing bad could have possibly happened to her. Still, the unpleasant thoughts nagged at the back of his mind.

When Petra didn't show up for a full hour after he'd woken up, though, he had convinced himself that something bad was happening. He wasn't supposed to leave his room without an escort, but Petra's room was just at the other end of the hall. He wouldn't even be leaving the building, surely he wouldn't be punished for just checking up on her. He didn't care, though. He needed to make sure she was still safe. He wanted to put his mind at ease, and if breaking one small rule allowed him to do that, he would do it a thousand times.

He left his room almost as quickly as he'd decided it was necessary. He could see her door from his end of the hallway, but the closer he got to it the more scared he became. Still, if she wasn't there it didn't necessarily mean anything _bad_ had happened to her. It could just mean that she was busy this morning, that she was meeting with a friend, that she'd gone to get breakfast. It could really mean any number of things, but the innocent things weren't what Levi's mind kept wandering to.

He stopped outside of her door and took a deep breath before he knocked sharply three times. The rooms weren't that big, that knock would be enough for her to hear, and yet she wasn't coming to the door. He knocked again.

“Petra,” He said her name loudly enough that she could hear it on the other side. Still no answer. He tried the doorknob and it turned. The door wasn't locked. He found that odd, especially with everything else that was happening at the moment, but if he entered and nothing was wrong he might make her angry. The feeling that something _was_ wrong wouldn't leave him alone, though, and he decided that Petra's anger would be worth facing to make sure that she was okay.

When the door swung open all of his suspicions were proven correct. The room was trashed. Signs of a struggle were apparent in the way furniture was tipped over and strewn all over the room. Petra was a fighter, and _strong_ , someone much bigger than her would have had to come to take her away for her to actually be overpowered. Levi could think of two people off the top of his head: Erwin and Mike. Possibly the two largest members of the Corps. Too large for Petra to handle on her own without the use of some kind of weapon.

He left her room and hurried back to his own to wait for Hanji to bring his breakfast. He would use that opportunity to get to someone that could help him. Eld.

Eld was the person he trusted the most after Petra. He would be able to help him get to Erwin's office and ask the right questions. The waiting might kill him before that, though.

He couldn't believe how stupid he'd been. Why had he not asked Petra to stay in his room again? It was his fault that she'd been kidnapped, and he couldn't begin to imagine what had been happening to her all night. He didn't _want_ to. He hated himself for letting his guard down like that, especially right after what they'd found in Ragako. This was a power play, he knew it yesterday, but he didn't act on it. It was apparent now what he would have to do. If he wanted to get Petra back, if he wanted to save Isabel and Farlan, he would have to get rid of Erwin _now_.

He knew all of these things and yet he was still stuck. Petra had been right about one thing last night, he would have to be smart about this if he wanted to keep Erwin off his trail. He would have to continue obeying the rules, at least until he made sure Petra was safe.

He waited for a long time before he heard a knock on the door, but this time was different than all the others. This time he rushed to the door and swung it open, determination pushing him forward. This time he didn't wait for Hanji to open it on her own because he had a reason to want to see her. But this time it wasn't Hanji that stood behind the door waiting for him.

It was Erwin.

Levi was floored when he saw the Commander standing in front of him, smirking down at him as if he'd won their little game. But this wasn't a game to Levi. This wasn't fun or amusing, this was the lives of his friends hanging in the balance. This was a civil war between members of the Survey Corps.

“Lance Corporal,” Erwin said his title as if it was some kind of joke and pushed past him to enter his room. He looked around at the tidy little space before he turned back to face Levi again.

“What did you do with her?” Levi asked. He tried to keep calm, but it was evident to him, and probably to Erwin as well, that he was anything but.

“I'm not sure who you mean.”

“You know _damn well_ who I mean.” Levi gritted his teeth as he spoke, grinding the words out as best he could. “Where is Petra? What did you do with her?”

“Ah, I thought you might be looking for her. I'll take you to her if you want.” Erwin's smirk never left his lips and it only made Levi feel worse about the situation. His anger was outweighing his guilt right now, but he had the feeling that would change later.

“If she's hurt...”

“Let me guess, you'll kill me? It worked out well for you the first time, didn't it?”

“Just take me to her,” Levi demanded. He expected Erwin to push back because of his tone but, instead, the much taller man exited the room with Levi following behind him.

Levi was surprised when he was led to a carriage and the door was opened for him to climb inside. He did as he was instructed and Erwin climbed in behind him, the two of them silently riding in the carriage for quite some time before Erwin spoke again.

“You've been planning something. You, and Petra.” His voice was calm, emotionless, but Levi could see the malice behind his cold blue gaze.

“I don't know what you mean,” Levi answered, but Erwin only smirked at his denial.

“The funny thing about torture is, with enough of it anyone will tell you what you want to hear.”

“What did you do to her?” Levi asked, fury burning through his veins as he thought of what Petra might have endured through the night.

“Nothing that will have lasting physical effects. She'll recover.” Erwin turned to look out the window of the carriage as they rode together as if this were some mundane conversation for him. “She did tell me what I wanted to know, though. You've been plotting behind my back, Levi, and you know what happens when you disobey.”

“That's impossible. There's nothing to tell. If she said anything to you it was because you threatened her. Torture might get answers, but that doesn't mean they're the right ones.” He was trying to maintain his cool outward appearance, but he knew it was cracking with every word.

The thought that Petra had told Erwin anything about their plan wasn't necessarily upsetting to him. He would want her to divulge information instead of letting herself be tortured, but he couldn't be sure that this wasn't another one of Erwin's tricks. He was sure that Erwin had Petra somewhere, but what he wasn't sure about was how much she told him if anything at all. Erwin was all about mind games, being one step ahead of his enemy, but Levi wouldn't let himself fall into those traps so easily.

“I'm certain that what I've been told is the truth. Petra might be loyal to you, but there are certain things that scare her enough to divulge your secrets.”

“If you're so sure that I'm planning something, why don't you tell me what you've learned?”

“If I told you that I would lose the upper hand, wouldn't I?” Erwin looked back at Levi then, a knowing expression on his face. “Just sit tight and enjoy the ride, Lance Corporal. You've got a big decision to make when we get where we're going.”

 

oOo

 

The ride was much longer than Levi thought it would be, but when the carriage finally _did_ stop he was made painfully aware of where exactly they were. He'd only been this far a handful of times. Wall Maria loomed over him like a dark cloud as he and Erwin stepped out of the carriage. Erwin placed a firm hand on Levi's shoulder and pushed him forward, toward a lift that would take them to the top. When they entered the lift Mike entered with them, and the long ride to the top began.

“Just for good measure, Mike will be restraining you. We wouldn't want you to try anything rash when we get to the top. So, hands behind your back, be a good soldier and obey.” Erwin ordered, and Levi couldn't really deny him what he'd asked. The small space wasn't enough to fight in, and even if he could fight now he would quickly be overpowered by the two much larger men if he had nowhere to run. So, he obeyed, and his wrists were tied together so tightly behind his back that he began to lose sensation in his fingers almost immediately.

The rest of the ride was in silence. Levi counted down the agonizingly long minutes that it took to get to the top of the wall, but he wished that he wasn't there at all when they finally stepped out. Isabel, Farlan, and Petra all appeared in front of him, bound and kneeling on the top of the wall. They all looked horrible, but his eyes lingered on Petra the longest. Cuts and bruises adorned the soft features of her face, an angry black bruise circling her left eye stood out the most against her pale skin. The way she knelt in front of him, off-kilter and leaning to one side, told him that one of her legs had to be injured as well. He wasn't sure how many other injuries she had, but he felt anger and frustration for all of it. He never wanted this for Petra. He should have just kept her at an arm's length.

“And now for your choice.” Erwin grinned at Levi's side as he pushed him forward, taking him closer to his three friends. He didn't want to look at any of them. He was ashamed of what had happened, angry that he'd let this happen to so many people that he cared so much about. He'd take their place in a heartbeat if he could, but he knew that Erwin would never stand for that.

When they got close enough for Levi to see the tears that were slowly streaming down Petra and Isabel's faces, Erwin stepped away and Mike took his place at Levi's side. He watched as Erwin walked toward Petra, placing a hand on the top of her head and patting her like she was a dog. Levi wanted nothing more than to lunge forward and make Erwin regret ever laying a hand on her, especially since she visibly flinched at his touch, but his hands were, quite literally, tied at the moment. He would get his revenge in due time, but for now, he had to play along.

“As I said before, the next time you disobeyed me I would be killing one of your friends. Now that I know that there are more than just two, well, that gives me a few more options.” Erwin removed his hand from Petra and walked over to stand beside Isabel and Farlan. “The choice you have to make today is simple. Which one of these people will die? Your oldest friend? The little girl that you've come to love as a sister? Or, perhaps, the woman you've come to admire as something more than just a comrade?”

“I won't let you kill any of them.” Levi's voice was low, seething with rage that tore through him like a lightning bolt.

“That's not one of the options.”

“Levi,” Petra's voice was shaky and weak, but it still caught his attention immediately, drawing his eyes away from Erwin and over to her trembling frame. “You can't let him hurt them any more than he already has. I know you don't want to make this choice but, if you have to then...”

“No.” The word was firm and unwavering, more an order to stop speaking than an answer to her unsaid suggestion.

“Please, for once in your life, just let me help you. This is the way I can help you. You've wanted them to be free for so long, don't you think that this is the best way to do it?”

“I'm not sacrificing any of you for this! Human lives aren't something you can gamble with!”

“It seems you've grown more attached to Ms. Ral than I originally thought.” Erwin chimed in again and let his gaze fall on Petra. It seemed that she was struggling to stay in her kneeling position, but she was fighting through whatever pain she was experiencing the best she could. “I gamble with human lives every day, it's part of my job as the Commander of the Corps. Are you telling me that you can't make a simple decision like this in order to save lives? You can't sacrifice the few for the good of the many?”

“I won't willingly sacrifice _any_ of them.”

“I see, well, I'll have to make the choice for you, then. Someone is dying here today, Levi. You _will_ be punished for what you've been plotting behind my back.”

Without warning, Erwin took a fistful of Isabel's hair and dragged her toward the edge of the wall. Levi saw Farlan move, but all he could do was fall to his side, struggling to do anything with his hands tied behind his back. He heard Petra's gasp, heard Isabel's strangled cries, and then he heard his voice, far away and distant, as if it wasn't his own.

“Let her go!” He cried, moving forward before Mike pulled him back. He struggled so hard against his restraints that he could feel blood dripping from his wrists and running down his fingertips.

“If you don't want her to die you need to make a choice, Levi!” Erwin's voice carried on the wind, back toward where Levi was standing with Mike firmly holding him in place.

“Levi please, just pick me. Let me go in her place. She's just a child!” Petra's voice was sad, but it was loud enough to break through his thoughts. His eyes darted back and forth between Isabel and Petra. His head was involuntarily shaking from side to side. He had no control of his own body anymore, the stress of the situation was too much.

Erwin pulled a small black box from the inside pocket of his jacket, holding firmly onto Isabel's hair with his other hand.

“Time's running out,” He said as he opened the box to reveal a small syringe, and Levi realized then that Erwin wasn't just going to throw her off of the wall, he was going to give her a much worse fate.

“No! Just...take me!” Farlan's voice broke through the panic as everyone's attention turned toward him. He was still struggling to get back on his knees without the use of his hands, but he got their attention all the same. “Izzy doesn't deserve this! She's just a kid like Petra said. Let me go in her place.”

Farlan's eyes locked with Levi's and he could tell that this was really what Farlan wanted. He could recognize a selfless decision when he saw one. Levi would have been willing to give up his own life for any one of them, and he could see that same resolve in Farlan's eyes as clearly as he could feel it.

“Is that your decision, Levi?” Erwin asked, halting his motions only for a moment.

“I...” His words were caught in his throat. He knew what Farlan wanted him to say, he knew he had to say _something_ soon or Isabel would suffer. He looked to Farlan again, his breath coming faster as he tried to mull over the situation in his head.

“Please, Levi, just say it. You can still save her.” Farlan's voice was lower now, more serious, and Levi knew it was the right decision to make.

“Well?” Erwin asked, watching the situation play out with a sickeningly smug grin on his face. All Levi could do was nod, but apparently, that wasn't good enough for the Commander. “I want to hear the words.”

“I choose Farlan,” Levi said his voice, and will, broken.

“Very well.” Erwin threw Isabel to the side and she landed beside Petra before he drug Farlan over in his place. “Mike, bring Levi closer. I want him to see exactly what happens when he disobeys my orders.”

They both seemed to have a thing for using hair as a control mechanism because Mike yanked Levi's hair so hard that it brought tears to his eyes. He pulled him to the very edge of the wall and made him kneel beside Farlan, who was looking down at the few titans that had started to gather underneath them.

“You made the right choice.” Farlan said, not looking at Levi but speaking to him as if no one else was there with them. “Now you can still save Izzy, and you better make _damn_ sure that you do, Levi, because I'll come back and haunt your ass if you fail.”

“I'll save her.” Levi's voice was almost a whisper as he watched his friend, but he knew that Farlan heard it.

“I'm still pissed at you for getting us into this mess, but at least now I know that you were trying to help.” Levi was confused, but Farlan quickly filled in the blanks. “I had a talk with Petra earlier today. At first, I thought she was just another one of them but...I can see why you trust her. She told me everything, so I guess I can forgive you. Just don't let them keep doing this shit to Izzy and...don't let Petra slip through your fingers, you fucking idiot.”

“What?” Levi was taken aback by Farlan's words, not just about Petra, but about his forgiveness. He didn't have long to dwell on it, though, and he didn't get an answer to his question from Farlan because Erwin butted into their conversation without a care.

“Well, as touching as this little reunion is, it's time to pay your price. Watch closely, Levi, this is why I sent you to Ragako.” Erwin jammed the syringe into Farlan's neck and pressed the plunger down quickly before he kicked the man off of the wall. Levi wanted to reach out to him, to save his friend's life because this wasn't something that Farlan deserved, but it was far too late for that.

Memories of time spent with Farlan flashed through his mind in an instant. The day they met, when they got their first set of 3DM gear, avoiding the useless MPs in the underground city, saving Isabel from the thugs that were out to get her. Too many memories to count, good, bad, and everything in between flashed before his eyes, mimicking the bright flash of light that lit up the area beneath the wall. When Levi could see again he saw something that would haunt his dreams for the rest of his life. A titan, around twelve meters tall, silver-blonde hair, and light blue-gray eyes that stared up at him in blissful ignorance. Farlan wasn't dead at all. He'd been turned into a titan, cursed to wander the outside of the walls for the rest of eternity. In Levi's eyes, that was far worse than death.

They'd puzzled it out before, Levi and Petra, they knew that Erwin was somehow turning people into titans for his own gain, but now Levi knew exactly how he was doing it. He still didn't know why, but how was enough to go on for now. They would find everything out in due time, but now all he cared about was saving Isabel from the same fate. Erwin leaned down close to Levi's ear as he watched the titan that used to be his best friend wander around at the bottom of wall Maria.

“Stop your plots, obey me completely, and you'll never have to see this happen again. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” Levi answered, willing this encounter to just _end_ already because he couldn't stand to watch any more.

“Good.” Erwin pulled away and stood up to his full height once more. “Mike, I want you to take the girl back to her cell, Petra and Levi will be free to go back to their day to day lives, now that they know the price of betraying me. Hopefully, they've learned their lesson. I can't very well go imprisoning either of them, they're part of my best squad. We'll cut them free of their restrains once we get down from here and see them back to Stohess district.”

Mike nodded and drug Levi away from the side of the wall before he went to scoop up Isabel. Levi's guess was that she was too weak to walk by herself and had to be carried, so Mike did just that and carried her toward the lift, leaving Levi and Petra on top of wall Maria with Erwin, the man that had caused them both so much pain.

Now, with everything out in the open, Levi wasn't quite sure that he even cared if Erwin knew how much he cared for Petra. There were so many things he wanted to say to her, so many questions he wanted to ask, but for now, he would settle for the one that was most prevalent in his mind.

“Are you okay?”

“I'll be fine, given a little bit of time,” She answered with a small, sad smile before she looked up at him through thick eyelashes. “Are you?”

He wasn't sure how to answer the question without seeming weak or broken, and he definitely didn't want to be seen as either of those things by Erwin, so he just nodded, knowing that Petra would draw the truth out of him later. She always did, and perhaps this time she would draw out some truths that he hadn't even realized until now. He felt stupid that he didn't see it before. All the signs and hints were there, right in front of his eyes but, as always, his mind was set on other things.

The lift came back up and they boarded it with Erwin, riding down in silence and boarding a wagon that had been parked at the bottom of the wall. This would be their way back to Stohess, and then they would have to face a whole new set of challenges, but for now, Levi allowed himself to really _feel_ everything. He wanted to remember what it felt like to watch Farlan transform into that mindless monster. He wanted to remember what it felt like to see Petra when he arrived at the top of the wall. He wanted to remember all of it because that would be the driving force for what came next. Vengeance. And this time Erwin wouldn't make it out alive.

 

oOo

 

Levi and Petra were cut free of their restraints and dropped in front of the barracks building where they lived, still reeling from their experience. It was late in the day now, the ride back to Stohess taking up most of the daylight hours, and they were both exhausted. Petra could hardly stand on her own, so Levi slung her arm over his shoulders and wrapped his around her waist to help her up the stairs to the floor where they would find their rooms. They didn't say much as they walked, they just stayed silent and tried to ignore the stares of the people around them as they struggled to get where they were going.

He didn't even ask her where she wanted to go, her room was no longer an option. He would never let her out of his sight again if he could help it. He would never let Erwin lay another finger on her. When they were inside his room he helped her to the bed and she sat there on the edge, massaging her hurt leg as he wandered over to a cabinet where he kept a few medical supplies.

“Are you really okay?” He asked, pulling one of the chairs from his table over to the bedside and sitting down in front of her. It was a closer proximity than he'd be comfortable with any other time, but he'd already decided what he was going to do when they got back to the safety of his room.

“I'm fine, but thank you for worrying about me.” She answered reaching out and catching his forearm to examine the angry red gashes on his wrists from the ropes that had dug into his skin. “But you're going to need to clean these up if you don't want them to get infected.”

“I'll be fine.” He said, but he didn't pull his arm away. He enjoyed the feeling of her fingers on his forearm, careful and soft as she held him still.

“Let me help you.” She insisted and dug through the first aid kit on his lap until she found some bandages and alcohol swabs. He relented and held out his wrists for her careful examination, even though he felt like he was the one that should have been taking care of her.

She'd gone through so much for his sake that he didn't want her to have to lift another finger to do anything for him. It was a useless thought, though. Petra would never let him shoulder the burden on his own. Farlan's words played through his head then, some of the last words that Farlan ever spoke to him.

 _Don't let Petra slip through your fingers, you fucking idiot_.

“Petra,” He said her name so softly that he almost didn't recognize his own voice, but that was how he thought her name _should_ be said, how he hoped he would be able to say it from now on. She looked up at him, briefly distracted from her work at cleaning his injuries. “When I realized what happened this morning...I was scared. Scared that you were hurt or...worse.”

“You don't have to be worried about me, Levi,” Petra said as she returned to her task, and it was obvious to him that he wasn't doing a very good job at this because she was more concerned with wrapping his injuries than what he was saying to her. He huffed a sigh and pulled his arm away from her, reaching up to grasp her chin and forcing her to look into his eyes.

“I don't know what I would do if something happened to you. If you were taken away from me...like he did with Farlan.” He paused, but he knew he needed to push through and say what he wanted to say. He couldn't let Farlan down for the second time. “You're very important to me, Petra, I want you to know that. Not just as a comrade or a friend but...something more. I have never cared for _anyone_ as much as I care for you, and I'll make him pay for ever even thinking about laying a hand on you.”

“What...?” She seemed shocked but didn't try to pull away from him. Her face had turned a lovely shade of pink as he spoke to her and her hands were clasped tightly in her lap.

“When I saw what he did to you I was so angry I could have killed him right there. I would have if I was able to.”

“Levi...” Petra started to interrupt, but he couldn't let her say anything until he was done. He wanted her to know everything.

“Just wait. I need to tell you this,” He said gently, and waited for a nod from her before he continued. “You were selfless and brave and determined. You wanted to sacrifice yourself for two people you had never even met before in your life, all to help me. It's clear to me now that you would do anything for me, and I want you to know that I feel the same way. It goes beyond the trust of a squad leader and his subordinate, it goes beyond being comrades, it's much more than anything I've ever experienced before. I don't know why I didn't see it before, but it's pretty fucking clear now. Petra...”

“Don't.” She finally sounded more like herself again, but it wasn't the reaction he'd been expecting from her interruption. Not the one he'd been _hoping_ for. “I'm so happy to hear all of this from you, Levi, I really am, but please don't say anything else right now. You've been through a lot today. You've experienced a lot of emotions. I'm so thrilled that you want something more from this, from _me_ , but...I just think you should take more time to think about everything.”

He wasn't quite sure what else to say. These kinds of things didn't come easily for him. In fact, he'd never had any experience with anything like this before. He let his hand slip off of her chin and let her pull his wrists into her lap so that she could continue cleaning his wounds instead of trying to carry on this conversation. That seemed like the easiest option at the moment, anyway. She wrapped his wrists with bandages and, instead of letting him take his hands back, placed hers in them and looked up at him with a smile.

“I'm sorry that you had to experience that today. I know how hard it must have been for you to see that, but it won't happen again, we'll save Isabel. I'll do it myself if I have to. That sweet girl doesn't deserve this, and Farlan didn't either.”

“How much did you get to speak to them today?” He asked, tightening his grip on Petra's hands ever so slightly. The thought that he would never be able to speak to Farlan again was too much for him, but he wanted to know what he'd talked about with Petra.

“There wasn't a lot of time that we were unsupervised together, but I got to talk to them enough to know that they're good people, just like you.”

“Farlan and I have killed people in the underground. How can you keep calling us good?” Levi had never understood how Petra could look at him the way she did, but he was glad that she did now. _Don't let Petra slip through your fingers, you fucking idiot_.

“I don't care what you've done in your past. I judge you by what I've seen since I've been with you, and what I've seen has been nothing but good. Fighting for your friends, going on expeditions outside the wall, saving me and caring for me the way you do. There's no way you can be a bad person, Levi. Not in my eyes.”

“What did I ever do to deserve someone like you?” He asked although he hadn't meant to say it out loud. He decided that it was best not to wait for an answer to his ridiculous question, though, not that he expected her to come up with one, and did something else instead.

It was ungraceful, it was hesitant, it was even downright _clumsy_ , but he closed the distance between the two of them quickly and pressed a soft kiss to Petra's lips that set off fireworks behind his eyelids. It didn't even matter that he had no idea what he was doing. It felt right, and it definitely seemed that she didn't mind it, judging by the way her hands tightened on his and pulled him just that much closer to her.

They broke away at the same time, but Levi didn't want to lose the closeness he had to her right now. Instead, he leaned his forehead against hers and listened to her breathing. It was soothing, in a way, and it made him feel better about the situation at hand. Of course, Petra being here with him couldn't make all his troubles go away, but he felt better being close to her all the same.

Her eyes were closed, even after he stopped kissing her, but there was a smile on her face. He took that as a good sign, even if he had no idea what to say now.

“I have to say, I didn't really expect all of this tonight.” She finally opened her eyes and looked straight into his, the warm amber orbs making him feel at home.

“I wanted you to know, just in case.” He reluctantly pulled away then but kept a firm hold on her hands. “How's your leg?”

“I'll be fine soon, it just happened when they came to get me.”

“What exactly happened?” He moved her hands to the side and placed his on her leg just above her knee. “Where does it hurt?”

“I was trying to fight Mike off when he came into my room last night, but he hit the side of my knee pretty hard with the leg of a chair that got broken in the struggle,” She answered, seeming a bit flustered at Levi's hands on her. He thought that was a little strange after the kiss that they shared, but he tried not to think about it too much, preferring to focus his energy on helping her to get better.

“Let me wrap it for you, it'll heal faster that way.” He looked up at her to gain her approval and all she did was nod in response, her cheeks flushed as she wrung her hands in her lap. For someone that was so otherwise confident, Petra was very timid and shy when it came to things like this. Levi found it endearing in a way, and it only made him more fond of her.

He scooted his chair back away from the bed just enough so that Petra could stretch her leg out a bit, allowing him better access for wrapping it, but it wasn't until he started to lift the bottom of her now tattered skirt to more easily work that he noticed her shiver a bit. He looked up at her, puzzled, and the same shade of pink that had been on her face practically the whole night was still there.

“Are you cold? You can use the blankets on the bed.” He said, and it earned a giggle from her that was so adorable he couldn't help but smile a bit in return, even if he had no idea why she was laughing.

“No, I'm fine,” she said, still giggling. “Go ahead.”

He arched a brow at her before he went back to his work, pulling some bandages out of the first aid kit and beginning his careful work. He tried not to let his eyes linger too much on the smooth, exposed skin of her legs as he began winding the bandages around her knee. He could tell it was uncomfortable for her by the way she hissed at the slight movements, but she didn't complain a single time.

“Thank you,” She said with a smile, then took a deep breath and fell back against the pillows after adjusting her skirt. It had been a long day for her, and she probably hadn't gotten any sleep the night before. He was sure Erwin hadn't allowed it.

“You're tired,” He said, it wasn't a question, but she nodded regardless. Suddenly, her smile was absent from her face and she looked nervous.

“I'm scared,” She replied. Levi thought that this was probably the first time he'd ever seen her scared of something. It was shocking to see such a strong woman scared of anything at all, but everyone has fears, even the seemingly fearless Petra Ral. Even Levi himself.

“You don't need to be scared. I'll make sure he never puts another hand on you,” He said, moving from his chair to sit on the bed beside her. After their kiss, he felt more comfortable being close to her, and it seemed that she didn't mind how close he'd come to her, either, because she had sat up again and was now leaning on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. “Stay with me again. I don't want you staying by yourself anymore. Especially not with that injury. I know that you're strong and you can hold your own, but if they come after you again I'm not going to leave you to fight alone this time.”

“I would like that,” She answered, seeming a bit less frightened than she had been before.

“Do you need anything from your room? I can go and get it for you if you want. I don't have much here, but if you need something to sleep in you can have one of my t-shirts. Your clothes are filthy.”

“I...don't really want you to leave. Can I just borrow something for now?”

“I'll get it for you.” Reluctantly, he left the bed where he'd been sitting with Petra and walked over to a dresser where he kept his clothes pristinely folded. He went into the drawer that held all of his workout clothes and pulled out a t-shirt that had always been a bit too big for him, he thought he'd heard from someone that women liked to sleep in over-sized shirts or something, and walked back over to her after also grabbing a pair of baggy shorts.

“I can go into the bathroom while you change if you want, I know it's hard for you to walk right now,” He said as he watched her smooth her hands over the neatly folded clothes lying on the bed beside her.

“Just turn around. I trust you not to peek,” She said with something of a mischievous smile. He did as he was told, though, ever the gentleman in Petra's presence. After a bit of rustling and a few grunts of effort he heard her say, “Okay, I'm all dressed now.”

When he turned around she was smiling at him, just like she always seemed to be, and just like always it seemed to light up the small room. She was beautiful even with a black eye and cuts and bruises. She was beautiful in oversized t-shirts and baggy shorts. She'd stopped him just short of a confession earlier, but he had never been so sure of anything in his entire life. Now he understood why _beautiful_ was a part of his definition of Petra Ral.

“I'll sleep in the chair again,” He said, turning to walk toward the spot where he'd spent the night before their mission.

“Actually,” Petra's voice stopped him in his tracks and he turned around slowly to see her crawling under the blankets. “I know this bed is small but...could you sleep here with me? Even if you don't sleep...I'll just feel safer if you're close by.”

“I'll only be across the room, Petra,” He said, pointing toward the chair.

“Please. I'll sleep better this way.” She looked a little sheepish then as if she was afraid that she was overstepping some boundary. “If you're too uncomfortable with it you don't have to but...it would make me happy.”

“Fine,” He walked toward the bed and she immediately scooted to one side, allowing him to slide under the blankets effortlessly. “There's not much room.”

“That's okay with me,” Petra said, cuddling closer to him and laying her head on his chest. He didn't know what to do. This was all new to him, and weird and awkward, but if Petra was happy he could live with a little bit of awkwardness.

“Thank you for everything, Levi,” She said, her voice low and quiet in the darkness of the room. He wanted to answer her, to tell her that he would do anything to make sure she was safe and happy, but her breathing had already evened out. The woman really took no time to fall asleep at all. He rolled his eyes but he wrapped his arms around her tighter before he closed his eyes and noticed something very familiar. The scent of dew. The way the rain smells when it first starts to fall. _Petra_. And he drifted off to sleep just as easily as she had.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, I'm horrible at predicting when I'm going to post chapters. I'm so sorry for the long wait for this one! Hopefully, though, you'll enjoy it despite my torturously long time between posting chapters!

When Levi woke up the next morning his shoulders were stiff from the weight of Petra laying on his chest all night long, his arms wrapped around her to keep her close. It was possibly the best reason for stiff shoulders in the world. They had barely moved at all since they drifted off to sleep, and Levi found that this was probably the most pleasant way he could think of to wake up in the morning. He hoped he never had to spend another restless night pacing the floor or another lonely morning drinking tea at his table by himself. Petra filled a void in him that he hadn't even really known existed.

He didn't want to disturb her, it was still early judging by the very small amount of sunlight that was filtering in through his window, but his body wouldn't let him sleep any longer, so he watched her.

He watched the steady rise and fall of her chest, the way her eyelids fluttered ever so slightly every now and then, the way her mouth was slightly parted, and he thought all of it was perfect. He could lay here with her like this forever and never get bored. He knew, however, that they would have to get up sooner rather than later. He knew that they still had a job to do and, while Petra was physically unable to really do much of anything without help right now, they could at least make a plan.

He waited a few more moments before he began running his hand through her hair, a much more gentle and intimate way to wake her up than he'd used the last time she stayed with him, but he _wanted_ this to be the status of their relationship now. He wanted gentle and intimate. He _wanted_ peaceful and comfortable.

She seemed to enjoy the attention, moving into his touch, although obviously not completely conscious yet. He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead and heard the slow intake of breath that meant she was roused from sleep. He looked down at her to see that her eyelids were fluttering open to gaze at him, still tired from the exhausting events of the past twenty-four hours or more.

“Good morning,” He said, still running his fingers through her hair as he spoke. She smiled and rolled closer to him, pressing her face into his chest with a sigh.

“I'm still tired,” She said in a sleepy voice, wrapping her arms around him to keep herself anchored there.

“I'd imagine you are, but Hanji will be here soon.”

“Hanji?” Petra sounded confused for half a second before she realized why exactly Hanji would be showing up at their door, and her confusion quickly turned into panic. “Should I change out of your clothes? What if she asks questions about us? What am I supposed to say to her?”

“You don't have to say anything to her if you don't want. Hanji doesn't need or deserve an explanation about anything from us. If she bothers you too much I'll take care of it.” He kissed the top of her head then and reluctantly left the bed in search of clean clothes for the day. Usually, he would already be dressed and ready for his day by now, but something about Petra made him want to relax. He wanted to spend more time with her, but there wasn't much time to be spent lazing around his room. He showered and got dressed quickly, just in time to hear a knock at the door. His hair was still wet and Petra was still scrambling to the edge of the bed as if she was trying to make it less evident that she'd slept there when Hanji barged in the door. Judging by the look plastered on Hanji's face, though, all of Petra's efforts were in vain.

“Petra?” Hanji said the name as a question, but Levi had the feeling it was supposed to be a form of greeting instead.

“Hello, Hanji,” Petra answered, her cheeks turning redder by the second as she sat on the bed with her hands clasped tightly in her lap.

“Um, I brought breakfast. Now I guess I know why Erwin told me to bring two trays this morning.”

“Put it on the table and leave,” Levi ordered. Despite the general awkwardness in the room he still had no trouble being his usual self. He didn't want Hanji staying here any longer than necessary.

“Um, sure,” Hanji answered, doing exactly as she was told and walking back toward the door. She paused for a moment to look between the two of them again before her brows furrowed in thought and she left without saying another word.

“That was...” Petra started to say something, but it seemed she wasn't quite sure what she wanted to say. Levi decided it probably wasn't that important, since it was more than likely just about Hanji, and walked toward her and held out his hand. She didn't seem to understand at first, so he thought he should probably at least help her out with that.

“You want to eat don't you?” He asked, perhaps a little too unkindly.

His time spent in the shower allowed him to think of what exactly had happened yesterday, and it soured his pleasant mood more quickly than he would have liked. It had given him time to think about how he'd never get to see Farlan again. It gave him time to wonder if Isabel was alright. He hadn't even noticed how she reacted to the whole thing, didn't have time to while he was dealing with his own emotions. For all he knew Isabel could hate him for picking Farlan to take her place instead of Petra. She could hate him for allowing anyone to be hurt at all. He didn't remember her like that, though, that wasn't the Isabel that he'd known in the underground, but grief can change a person.

He could tell that Petra knew something was wrong as soon as they sat down at the table together. He knew that she wanted to ask about it, but she was staying quiet. Perhaps because she had her own traumas from yesterday that she wasn't ready to talk about, or perhaps because she felt uncomfortable asking him about what he was thinking. Except she probably knew _exactly_ what and who he was thinking about. It would be odd if he wasn't thinking about Farlan the day after he was taken away from them forever.

“Do you...want to talk about it?” Petra asked, picking at her food but not really paying much attention to it.

“No,” He answered abruptly, but that wasn't exactly true. He wanted to talk about Farlan, and the mission they'd set out on, and why it was more important now than it ever was to get Isabel somewhere safe, but he couldn't find the words to start.

“Levi, you know that you can talk to me about anything, right?”

“Didn't I just say that I don't want to talk about it?”

“Well _, I_ want to talk about it.” Petra's voice was stern as she put her fork down on the table and watched Levi with something akin to determination in her eyes. “Watching what happened yesterday was horrible. I know it has to be affecting you somehow. It's affecting _me_ and I barely even knew Farlan. The few moments I spent talking to him made me really understand why he was your best friend, Levi, and you can't tell me that you don't _feel_ something after that.”

“Of course I feel something,” Levi scoffed, crossing his arms in front of his chest and feeling a bit uncomfortable under Petra's intense gaze. She'd never looked at him that way before like she was disappointed in him like she couldn't understand why he wasn't telling her every little thing.

“Doesn't it hurt to keep it all bottled up inside?”

“It's no different than anything else.”

“I keep telling you to let me help you and you _still_ won't listen. Have you always been so stubborn?”

“I don't _need_ your help with this. I've gotten pretty used to losing the people that I love.” He looked away from her then, trying his best to escape her gaze. Of course, it didn't work, but he could keep trying.

He felt her hand on his, pulling his arms away from his chest and giving him a less defensive posture, and he looked up at her again to see that her gaze had softened, the dark bruise around her eye intensifying the look of pleading on her face.

“You don't have to go through this alone anymore. I want to be here to help you with _everything_ , not just this mission that we've decided to go through with. I want to be by your side for much longer than that. Can you understand that or are you too dense?”

“I'm not dense,” He answered, not able to think of anything better to say. It seemed that his usual acclimation to witty comebacks was nonexistent with Petra.

“Just stubborn then?”

“Didn't you learn that from talking to Farlan?”

“I know you're hurting, and it's fine if you don't want to talk about it, but I'm hurt too. Farlan was your best friend, wasn't he? Why did you pick him over me? You could have saved both of them. I was completely ready to go in their place.”

“Because I don't want to lose you. Farlan was my best friend but, Petra...you're much more than that. I didn't have much of a choice, not after he begged me to pick him, not after what he told me just before...” Levi stopped, knowing that he had said too much. He hadn't planned on letting Petra in on the details of his conversation with Farlan just before Erwin threw him off the wall, but he'd gone too far to stop now. He knew she wouldn't push him for that information, but he decided she needed to know. He took a deep breath before he continued as if he was preparing himself for something far more difficult than just cluing Petra in on a few details.

“What Farlan told me just solidified what I was already thinking before I got there. Do you know what he said about you?”

“I...I couldn't hear. I knew he said something to you,” She answered, her voice softer than it had been before.

“He told me not to let you go. You don't know Farlan well, but he never would have said something like that on a whim.”

She looked away for a moment, seemingly embarrassed by what he had said. He was afraid for a moment that he'd said something wrong before she looked up at him and smiled.

“You don't have to worry about losing me. I'll be here for as long as you'll let me stay by your side. Let's focus on trying to make sure Isabel is okay, and then we can worry about everything else.”

“You're hurt, there's no way we can continue with the mission right now. I can't even leave my room by myself, and I'm sure Erwin doesn't see you as a fit escort anymore.”

“Did you think I didn't have a plan for something like this?” Petra picked up her fork again and started eating, her eyebrow raised just a bit, as if she couldn't believe he would underestimate her so much. He looked at her incredulously for a moment, wondering what she could possibly mean before she continued. “I told Eld if I didn't speak with him at least once a day he should assume something is wrong and come looking for us. Since we were gone all day yesterday, I'm assuming he'll drop by here again today to check up on everything. You really should give me more credit, Heichou.”

She used his title as if she was trying to make a point. She hadn't actually called him that while they were alone since he gave her permission to call him by his name. The ghost of a smirk played across his lips before he heard a knock at the door. When he went over to answer it he found none other than Eld standing outside.

“Heichou, I'm glad you're okay, I was looking for you yesterday, do you know where Petra is?” Eld asked, clearly too flustered to look over Levi's head and into the room. So, instead, Levi moved out of the way to reveal Petra sitting at his table and wearing his clothes. Her cheeks were only a little pink at Eld's reaction, which was a sharp intake of breath and a glance between the two of them.

“Don't just stand there gawking, come in if you have business with us,” Levi said before Eld hurried in and he closed the door behind him. “Have a seat.”

“Thanks,” Eld said, sitting down across from Petra. “What happened to your eye, Petra? Who did that to you? And Heichou, your wrists are bandaged. Where were the two of you yesterday?”

“Erwin is up to his shit again,” Levi answered, plopping himself back down in his chair and taking up his fork to finish his now-cold breakfast.

“We're fine if that's what you're worried about. A little roughed up, but nothing we can't handle,” Petra said with a smile, as if she was trying to ease Eld's worry. It didn't seem to Levi that it did much good, but he let her keep trying anyway.

“What did they do to you?” Eld asked, looking back and forth between the two of them.

“They kidnapped Petra and turned one of my friends into a titan before Erwin threw him off the wall,” Levi answered, deadpan. He could tell that Eld didn't know what to say. Levi's answer was so nonchalant that it could have been mistaken for normal conversation, but he'd turned his emotions off for this particular chat, and that made talking about it a lot easier.

“I'm so sorry, Heichou,” Eld said, regardless of how aloof Levi sounded. “So we need to work more quickly to make sure your other friend doesn't meet the same fate.”

“Well, there's a bit of a snag,” Petra chimed in again. “I can't fight right now, I think that was something that they did on purpose, so Heichou will need some extra help from you.”

“Anything you need. I'm here to help.”

“We need to get Isabel out of that filthy cell that they're holding her in,” Levi said, taking up his teacup in place of his fork, his appetite had faded quite a while ago, anyway. “She won't last much longer in there. She was all skin and bones.”

“Do you know where she is?” Eld asked.

“S-240, if they haven't moved her to a different one. We don't have the key anymore, but I can pick the lock, that won't be an issue. The problem will be getting her out of there and back here undetected.”

“We can't bring her back here, Heichou,” Petra added, placing her fork on her empty plate. “This is the first place they'll look. We need to go somewhere that they won't think of looking.”

“You can't walk, and I'm not leaving you here by yourself,” Levi said, forgetting for a moment that Eld was still in the room. His answer earned him a curious look from his second in command, but nothing else was said about the issue.

“Gunther can help me get somewhere safe, right Eld? Can you relay all this to him?”

“Sure, we can find a place that's safe to hide out and take Petra there in advance.”

“You'll need to make sure that you aren't followed when you do it,” Levi said, not completely sold on the plan, but he supposed it was better than nothing. If it meant that Petra was out of harm's way, he could deal with it. “And I want Gunther to stay wherever this hideout is with Petra while you and I go and break Izzy out of the cell.”

“You know that, if we stay close to the city, it'll only be a matter of time before Erwin finds us. Isabel won't be able to fight in her condition, and neither will I. Do you have somewhere to go after she's able to travel?” Petra chimed in again, her hands absentmindedly rubbing at her injured leg.

“I have family in the mountains inside of Wall Maria. I don't know them that well, and they haven't seen me for quite a while, but I'm confident they'll help me out.” Levi looked to Eld after he answered Petra's question. The mission would rely on all the help that he could get, but he still wanted to make something abundantly clear. “This will be dangerous Eld, and you'll probably never be able to return to Stohess or the military again after we're done. If you want to back out, you still have time.”

“Not a chance, Heichou. I'm not one for going back on my word. I told Petra I would help, so I'm going to help. Erwin's always been a snake, I'm sure he's done more than a few unsavory things during his time as the Commander, and I'm tired of it. If it means that the Survey Corps will be in better hands for future generations, I'm willing to help,” Eld said with a small smile. When Levi looked to Petra she was smiling too, despite her injuries and the large, dark bruise around her eye, and suddenly Levi felt hopeful again. Like this whole mission would work out. He may have lost Farlan already, but he would save Isabel if it took his life.

“Alright, Eld, please talk to Gunther and begin looking for a safe place where we can take Izzy after we get her out of the dungeon. I'll give you a couple days, but that's really all I can spare. She's not going to last much longer without medical attention and a good meal.” Levi began barking orders as though this was just another mission. Knowing that Eld was fully behind him gave him the willpower to push on. He could do this. _They_ could do this. Together. “And keep all of this information from Oluo. I'm sure he's still feeding Erwin information, so try not to be too suspicious. Don't change the way you speak to him, don't act any differently around him, just try to get this done without tipping him off.”

“Yes, Heichou, I'll get right on it,” Eld said, pushing himself up from the table.

“And Eld, check back in with us tomorrow. We can't leave this room alone and we'll need some way to communicate plans with you. Just make sure you aren't followed when you show up.”

Eld didn't say anything else, he just nodded to both of them and left the room to carry out the tasks he'd been given, leaving Petra and Levi alone again. It wasn't awkward, not really, but he felt a certain tension between them now that hadn't been there before. His words seemed heavy on his tongue when he spoke to her, and her cheeks were painted a lovely pink more often than not. He couldn't really figure it out, but he didn't really need to. There were things far more important than a strange feeling between the two of them. A magnetic pull that urged him to move closer to her.

“How's your leg feeling today?” He asked instead of acting on whatever strange desires were bubbling up under his skin.

“A bit more sore than it was yesterday,” Petra admitted, looking down at her bandaged knee that was visible due to the shorts she'd been wearing. He thought his clothes looked good on her, but he only thought it for a moment before he pressed on. He looked at her knee as well, sighing at the state it was in.

“It's swollen,” He said, getting up from his chair only to move it closer and sit back down. He'd decided before that he wasn't going to get any closer to her, that his desires needed to be kept in check for now, but it seemed they were a bit stronger than his will to stop them. He laid his hand gently on the bandaged area, earning a sharp intake of breath from Petra. “It hurts that bad?”

“They must have really done a number on me. The adrenaline from yesterday must have kept the pain at bay.”

“And Mike did this to you?”

“Yes,” Petra answered quietly. Levi had never been sure exactly which side Mike was on. He didn't take the man as someone who would just blindly follow orders, but he also didn't take him as someone who would disobey a commanding officer. In truth, Levi thought that Mike might be in a similar situation as himself, without the blackmail and friends being kidnapped. Mike was just doing what he was told, regardless of the consequences. Still, he'd hurt Petra, and he would pay for that dearly.

“Is he the one that did this too?” He asked, placing a delicate hand on the side of her face and brushing his thumb over the darkened, purple skin around her eye.”

“Yes,” She answered, even more quietly than the first time. He decided that everything he'd been thinking about Mike just a moment ago had to be bullshit. If he was willing to hit a woman, especially Petra, there wasn't a good bone in his body.

“He's on the list, then,” Levi answered, slowly unwrapping the bandage from around Petra's knee.

“The list?” She asked, her voice gaining an amused tone.

“The list of people that I'm going to beat the shit out of after this is all over. I guess it's a mixed list, actually. Some people are just going to get beaten, others are going to be killed, it really just depends on the severity of the crime.”

“And who all is on this list?”

“Erwin is at the top.”

“Of course,” She said with a smile, entertained by what Levi was saying. He couldn't help but smile a bit himself at how ridiculous it all sounded, now that it was being said out loud.

“Then there's Mike, for assaulting you in your room and dragging you up to that wall, and putting his filthy hands on me.”

“There are more?”

“Only one more so far.”

“And who's that?”

“Oluo,” Levi was a little embarrassed about the last one. As embarrassed as he could be, anyway. There wasn't any real reason for Oluo to be on the list, but he was there regardless.

“What on earth has Oluo done to deserve to be on the list?” Petra asked a little bit of shock bleeding into her otherwise jovial tone.

“Isn't it obvious?” Levi finished unraveling the bandage and placed his hand on Petra's knee again, more gently than before, and began to rub the sore spot there even more gently. Petra's cheeks turned pink again.

“N-no,” She stammered, obviously flustered at his actions.

“He's always chasing after you. Asking you out to dinner and trying to make stupid jokes and otherwise vying for your attention.” Levi looked away, a sour expression on his face as he thought about the ridiculous man that tries to imitate him in order to earn Petra's affections.

“I knew that Oluo was jealous of _you_ , but I had no idea it went the other way around too.” Petra giggled and placed one of her hands over her mouth as if she was trying to hide it.

“What are you talking about?” Levi asked, completely oblivious to what she was trying to say. Apparently, it was hilarious, though, because she was still laughing.

“You're jealous of Oluo too, aren't you?”

“That's ridiculous.” Levi almost took his hands away from Petra's knee, but he was enjoying the physical contact too much for that. So, instead, he just rolled his eyes and continued his careful massage of her sore muscles.

“Is it? I thought that look that you gave him after the meeting in the library was just because of how he was looking at you, but now that I think about it, it looked more like a challenge.”

“You sound ridiculous, Petra. I'm not jealous of Oluo Bozado. I have nothing to be jealous _of_.”

“If you say so,” Petra giggled again and Levi rolled his eyes before he felt her hands on top of his. He looked up at her to see her smiling and something snapped inside him. Would she protest if he told her that he loved her now? After he'd had time to recover from the events of the previous night. Would she tell him to wait even longer, even despite this ridiculous tension that hadn't gone away? Would she tell him to stop if he kissed her again? Because kissing her was really the only thing he could think about right now. Still, something like that may be too much at the moment.

Petra was right in saying that they'd both been through a lot in the past few days. He had no doubt about his feelings for her, and no one would be able to convince him that they weren't real, but perhaps it was best that they take things slow.

He tore his gaze away from her face and focused it back on her knee instead, observing the changes since the night before. It was much more swollen, and there was a bruise forming there now. It didn't look quite as bad as the one around her eye, but it was getting there.

“It needs to be elevated, and maybe left unwrapped for a while.” He said, looking back up at her. He got out of his chair and moved it forward a little more, close enough that she could stretch out her leg and rest it there. “It might not be comfortable right now, but I think it'll help in the long run.”

“Thanks,” She looked up at him and smiled and he felt like he wanted to kiss her again. Instead of a full-on kiss on the lips, though, he settled for placing one on top of her head.

It was strange, this domestic feeling that seemed to permeate his small quarters, but he liked it. He liked the feeling that he got from taking care of Petra, and he liked, even more, the feeling of her sleeping in his arms. He never wanted to lose it, and hopefully, when they were done with their mission he wouldn't have to.

 

oOo

 

The next few days moved by more slowly than either of them would have liked, but Eld and Gunther were making progress in the tasks Levi had laid out for them. They'd found a small house on the outskirts of Stohess that was just far enough away to allow them to lay low while Isabel recovered. Now all that was left to do was actually free her from her prison.

Petra was recovering from her injuries nicely, but she still had a while to go before she would be able to use 3DM gear again, and that meant that Levi and Eld would still have to carry out the next part of the mission alone. He wasn't looking forward to it, not by a long shot, but he was confident that the two of them could retrieve Isabel and make it back to their hideout safely. That didn't stop Petra from worrying, unfortunately.

“I know this is urgent, but don't you think you would have better chances if I was able to help you?” She asked, sitting on the bed while Levi toweled off his hair from his shower. They'd fallen into a kind of routine for mornings, and it usually involved waking up early just to lay together, Petra's head on his chest while he ran his fingers through her hair. It had become something that he wasn't willing to go a day without doing.

“You saw her on top of the wall, Petra,” Levi answered, not feeling the need to explain any further. He draped his towel around his neck before he looked over at her, and he saw the understanding on her face.

“I'm just worried, that's all. I know that you'll be fine but...” She trailed off as if she had more to say that she just couldn't spit out.

“I can outmaneuver anyone they could even think about sending after me, even carrying Izzy on my back, and Eld is good too. We'll be fine, and when we're done I'll meet you at the hideout and I won't leave your side again.”

“Just be careful.”

“I'm always careful,” Levi said and Petra rolled her eyes at him, smiling slightly as she pushed herself to her feet and limped over to the table. It was still difficult for her to walk, but she was doing much better than she had been a few days ago, and Levi was eternally thankful for that. In no time she would be back to her old self, able to defend herself again, and that was something he was eager for. The thing he was most eager for, though, was saving Isabel from the disgusting cell she'd been held in for a year, and that would be happening tonight. He would still have the majority of his day with Petra, though, and that was enough to take his mind off of the mission for a while.

“Eld is supposed to be coming by today to go over the last details of the plan, right?” Petra asked as Levi slipped a well-pressed white shirt over his shoulders and began to button the front. He didn't miss the way Petra's eyes lingered on his bare chest for just a moment too long before she tore them away from him.

“Yeah, I'm sure it'll be a while though. He's been visiting pretty frequently lately, he'll want to wait until there aren't so many people around the barracks.”

“So around lunch time then.”

“I'd say so.”

“Good. That's good,” She said, glancing around the room. She was acting strange like she was nervous about something, but she hadn't seemed nervous about anything at all since the very first night she'd stayed with him. It was enough for him to notice, but not enough for him to have the first clue what she could be nervous about.

He walked slowly over to the table and took his regular seat at the head of it, watching as she glanced quickly at him, turned red, and then set her gaze on the floor. Something was definitely strange.

“Are you okay?” He asked, his tone equal parts concerned and annoyed. He hated when she wasn't just straightforward about things, but he was also understanding about it. That didn't mean he couldn't be just a bit annoyed when she did it.

“Y-yeah, everything is fine,” She stammered, trying to meet his gaze and failing miserably. Her cheeks turned a lovely shade of pink as she fixed her eyes on her hands clasped tightly in her lap.

“It doesn't seem like everything is fine.”

“I don't know what you mean.”

“Well, you can't even look at me, so something seems a bit off.” He crossed his arms in front of his chest and leaned back in his chair, waiting for her to look up at him again. When she did she was able to hold his gaze for a bit longer, but her face turned redder than it had been before.

“I'm just...distracted,” She explained, albeit poorly.

“Distracted by...?” He questioned, nearing the end of his patience. There was a long pause before she spoke again, and whatever she said was unintelligible. “What? I can't hear what you're saying?”

“It's...it's nothing, really. It's not something we should be focused on right now. For the time being, we just need to make sure that you can get through this mission safely and rescue Isabel. So let's go over the plan one more time.” Petra brushed off his questioning expertly, but he knew there was something still there, lurking just beneath the surface that she wasn't saying. Whether it was something good or bad he wasn't quite sure, but if she didn't want to talk about it, he wasn't going to push her. Besides, that was something they could discuss once they all got to the safe house later that night.

“If you say so,” he answered, but he still gave her a look that let her know that he didn't quite believe what she was saying. “The plan is pretty simple. You'll go with Gunther to the safe house ahead of us while Eld and I go to break Izzy out of her cell. It'll be quick and quiet, and we'll be with the two of you in no time once we make our escape.”

“I'm glad you're so optimistic about it, but it's hard not to worry.” Petra wouldn't meet his eyes, but he could tell just how worried she was about it as she spoke. Her voice shook a little, she toyed with her hair, brushing it behind her ear as she looked at the floor. They were all telltale signs that Petra was incredibly nervous, and he didn't like seeing her that way. He hardly saw her that way at all, if he was truthful, so he knew that this was really bothering her.

“I don't want you worrying about us. Nothing will happen to any of us, understood? Have a little more faith in us than that, Petra,” Levi said as he watched her. She looked up momentarily and smiled a half-hearted smile before she resumed her fidgeting, and it was almost more than he could really take. Without giving himself time to think about it, or talk himself out of it, he moved to Petra's side and pulled her out of her chair. He was gentle while still managing to be firm as he pulled her to her feet and into his arms. At first, he'd only meant to embrace her, but he realized that he wanted so much more than that in the middle of the act, and pulled her into a crushing kiss that seemed to take her by surprise. She blinked rapidly before her eyes fluttered shut and she leaned into him more, letting him support her weight instead of relying on her still injured leg.

When he'd decided to kiss her, he hadn't meant for it to turn into anything more than a sweet, delicate kiss of reassurance, but it was quickly evolving into something hungry. Something heavy and passionate. Something that conveyed their mutual feelings of worry and adoration for the other without words. He hadn't meant for it to turn out that way, but he was glad it had as the kiss deepened and he found himself leading her back toward the bed that they'd been sharing. It was a sort of gravitational pull, and not something that he'd really done consciously, but Petra didn't seem to mind. Just as they reached the bed and Petra sat down, though, there was a knock on the door that made Levi turn back and glare at it as if he wanted to kill whoever was on the other side.

“If it's not important, fuck off,” Levi shouted through the door, moving over Petra.

“Um, it's me, Heichou.” Eld's voice was muffled, but it was undeniably him, and Levi was suddenly unsure if he really still liked Eld or not. It seemed that their time estimate had been a bit off.

“You should probably let him in,” Petra said quietly, sounding a bit upset as she shot him a longing look. He sighed and moved to the door to open it as Petra took her seat at the table again. He was sure that Eld could tell he was annoyed just by the look on his face, but that didn't stop him from getting down to business.

“Um, sorry, I'm a bit early, but Gunther and I thought it would be best if we got Petra out of here sooner rather than later. He went to go get a couple horses to take you guys to the hideout. Do you think your leg is good enough to ride?” He asked, looking to Petra for her approval.

“I think I can manage,” She answered. She still seemed a bit flustered, but she was mostly in control of herself as she spoke to Eld.

“Good, once you're settled in there we can start planning our attack.” Eld turned back to Levi to speak then, and Levi nodded in response. The reality of the situation was beginning to settle in now. Tonight was the night that they would rescue Isabel from the dungeon that had been her home for what was probably the longest year of her life.

It wasn't long before Gunther was knocking on the door as well, and his sudden arrival seemed to remind Petra that this whole plan was about to be set into motion. Normally she would be discreet. Normally she would pretend like there was nothing between the two of them in front of their squad, but today wasn't a _normal_ day.

He hadn't been standing far away from her, but it was still enough for her to struggle to limp across the distance and throw her arms around his shoulders. Levi was sure that the shock reflected on Gunther and Eld's faces was plastered on his as well as he returned the embrace. He was sure that this secret if it was even _really_ a secret at this point, was safe with their squad, but the sudden display of affection in front of them was surprising.

“Please be careful,” She whispered to him, her mouth so close to his ear that he could feel the warmth of her breath against it.

“I will,” He answered quietly, although still loudly enough for Gunther and Eld to hear, even though they acted like they didn't. When they broke their embrace Petra limped closer to Gunther and Levi followed.

“I'm ready to go,” She said sweetly, and Gunther nodded at her and then looked at Levi.

“Make sure you keep her safe. If any harm comes to her you'll have me to deal with.” Levi made his thinly veiled threat and Petra sighed beside him.

“Y-yes Heichou. You can count on me,” Gunther answered, and before Levi could say another word he was walking out the door, helping Petra along as best he could, and she gave him one last look before the door closed behind them.

Levi was thankful that Eld didn't ask about what had just happened because he didn't want to explain. As much as he genuinely cared for Petra, he had to force himself to push her from his mind. He had more important things to think about right now, like his survival, like _Isabel's_ survival. He and Eld would have a long and dangerous night ahead of them tonight, but he knew they could do it, then there would only be one thing left. That one thing was the most important thing he'd ever do in his life.

Kill Erwin Smith.

Kill Erwin and be free. It was so close he could almost taste it.

“What's the plan, Heichou?” Eld asked as he moved to the table to sit down.

“Listen carefully,” Levi said as he took his seat, raking a hand through his hair. “I'm only going to say this once.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me just start by apologizing for how long this chapter has taken to go up. Life has been a bit...hectic, to say the least. But, what can I say, the start of the new season has inspired me, and so, here's a brand new chapter! I hope it was worth the wait, and I hope I haven't lost too many of you lovely readers during the hiatus that I took from this story!

They had to wait a while after the sun went down. Three hours. Just to be safe. They wanted to make sure it was dark enough to make their escape easily through alleyways and back streets. They wanted to be invisible after they got Isabel out, so they waited. And the waiting was excruciating.

When they finally agreed that it was dark enough, Levi and Eld slipped out of the barracks building and made their way to the stables where the extra 3DM gear was kept. Levi didn’t anticipate using it at all, but it was better to be ready for anything. They quickly geared up and made their way directly toward the large building where Petra had taken Levi the first day he'd seen his two friends. Now he would only find one of them there, but saving her was his first priority at the moment. Isabel's life was hanging in the balance, and he would make sure she was brought back safely.

The front door to the large building was unlocked, and they gained easy access to the stairwells that would take them down to the cells. They moved quietly, their footsteps inaudible as they descended the cold stone steps into the darkness of the cells. Levi wondered if there were other people in the cells they were quietly passing, but he didn't care about any of _them_.

When they finally got to the door labeled S-240, Levi pulled a small lock pick kit from his pocket and set to work. He was suddenly very grateful that he'd picked up these skills while he was in the underground city as the tumblers fell into place and the door swung open.

He halfway expected not to see her there or worse, to find her slumped against the wall lifeless and cold, but when the door opened she looked up at him and smiled, and he ran to her like a magnet was pulling them together with unstoppable strength.

“Aniki, you came for me,” She said in a quiet voice, seemingly already aware that they would need to be as silent as possible.

“Of course I did. Climb onto my back and hold on tight. We're getting you out of here and taking you somewhere safe,” He said, turning his back to her and stooping down to allow her to climb on. She barely weighed anything at all, and he knew it wouldn't be hard to use his gear with her on his back if the need arose.

“Let's go, Heichou, they don't even know we're here yet, but the next patrol will be close to this building soon. We need to get out of here fast,” Eld said quietly as Levi exited the cell and closed the door behind him.

They quickly climbed the stairs, Levi being careful not to jostle Isabel too much, and made it out of the building and into a nearby alleyway just as one of the MPs patrolling the outside turned a corner. It was a close call, but they'd made it out of the building. They were almost safe. All they would have to do now was make it to the stables and they would be as good as free.

“It reminds me of home,” Isabel's voice was still soft as she spoke, but close enough to Levi's ear to catch his attention. “The way you're rushing through this alley. It reminds me of what we used to do when we were getting ready for a job at home. We'd sneak through these alleys undetected, get to where we needed to go, and strike. It was so easy. So fun. Farlan always loved it.”

The way she said Farlan's name made Levi painfully aware of just how much she missed him, but there was nothing he could do about it right now, or maybe ever. Farlan was more than likely lost to them, but he wasn't about to stop Isabel from remembering him.

“We can sneak through all the alleyways you want when you get your strength back. They'll be sorry they ever brought us to the surface,” Levi answered quietly as they rounded another corner and ducked into an adjacent alley. They were almost there. Just a bit longer and they'd be riding toward their hideout.

“I think it would be more fun to live somewhere quiet. Somewhere that we don't have to steal from people, you know? Somewhere that I can look at the sky and not feel like I'm going to be eaten by titans or killed or tortured.”

“As soon as it's safe, I'll take you somewhere just like that. I promise,” Levi said just as they ducked into the stables. Eld had already saddled two horses prior to their mission, and they mounted up and immediately sped away from the stables, away from the heart of Stohess, and toward the outskirts and their hideout. For the first time since Levi joined the Corps, he felt like something was finally going right. Now that Isabel was safe, he could focus on killing Erwin, and that brought a smile to his face that he was glad neither of his companions could see in the darkness that surrounded them.

 

oOo

 

The ride from the heart of Stohess took most of the night, and it was very late when they finally made it to the hideout. Levi and Eld were both exhausted as they climbed off of their horses, but Levi still gathered Isabel up in his arms and carried her into the house anyway. He expected it to be quiet when they arrived. He expected Petra to be soundly sleeping somewhere while Gunther stood guard, but that wasn't the case at all.

When Levi walked in the front door Petra was already rising and moving quickly toward him. As quickly as she could, anyway, with her leg still healing. The look of relief on her face made him feel loved as she stopped in front of him.

“I'm so glad you're all okay! Can I help you with anything? What do you need me to do?” She asked as she looked Isabel over. Levi fought back a smile and walked over to a couch to lay Isabel down on it. Once Isabel was safely deposited on the couch he stood back to his full height, turned to face Petra, and pulled her into a hug that caught everyone off guard. He heard Eld clear his throat and watched as he and Gunther both turned away from his sudden display of affection, and relaxed when he felt Petra's arms wrap around him in return. It only lasted a moment longer before he broke away.

“We should get something for Izzy to eat. Did you bring any food to this shit hole?” Levi asked, still standing relatively close to Petra as he spoke. His squad seemed to snap back to attention as he asked the question.

“I brought some rice. It's not much, but she probably shouldn't eat anything big right now anyway,” Gunther answered, rising from his seat to make his way to the small kitchen on the other side of the house.

“Izzy, I bet you would like a bath, wouldn't you?” Petra's voice was soft and motherly as she spoke to Isabel, and Levi tried his best not to reveal that he was listening in on their conversation.

“I haven't had a bath for...I don't even know how long,” Isabel answered with a small smile on her face.

“If you're okay with it I can help you get cleaned up. I know you're probably weak right now, but I'll help you get your strength back.”

“Thank you, Petra!” Isabel said, sitting up and throwing her arms around Petra's shoulders. It wasn't something that Levi had seen before, Isabel reacting so warmly to an outsider, but he supposed Petra just had a way of getting to people.

He was about to ask Petra if she needed help getting Isabel to the bathroom before she lifted the girl's small frame into her arms and carried her away into a room in the back of the house. Levi could see a small bed through the open door before Petra and Isabel disappeared inside the room and closed the door behind them.

“So, what's next, Heichou?” Eld asked after Levi had joined him and Gunther in the kitchen.

“Next we need a plan to get rid of the Commander,” Levi answered coldly, not meeting either of their gazes as he spoke. “I'll need everyone for this plan to work, so we're going to have to wait until Petra is fully healed and Izzy is back on her feet. It'll take a while, but we'll need a while to make this plan. It has to be perfect.”

“And once we get rid of him? Then what?” Gunther asked, paying close attention to the rice that was steadily cooking on the stove.

“Then we'll all need to disappear. I know a place that I can take Izzy and Petra, I'm sure the both of you would be welcome there too, at least until you can find somewhere that you would rather stay.” Levi looked away from his comrades for a moment, feeling the pressure of everything he was asking of them for perhaps the first time. “I know the two of you are giving up a lot to help me with this. I want to thank you both, sincerely, for everything you've done.”

“Don't sweat it, Heichou. We weren't happy with what Erwin was doing either. If it means getting the Corps out of his hands and into someone else's, someone who won't kidnap kids as ransom, then we'll do whatever it takes.”

“But...Heichou, if you don't mind me asking...what's going on with you and Petra?” Gunther chimed in again, and Levi's cold gaze slid back to his subordinate. He had no intention of sharing any details of his personal life with Gunther.

“I mind,” He answered, and Gunther quickly returned to his work. Eld chuckled in the corner of the room before Petra walked in with a concerned look on her face.

“Levi,” She said, dropping his title all together as she addressed him. “There's something you need to see.”

He followed her through the small sitting room and through the bedroom Petra had taken Isabel into before they arrived in a bathroom. Isabel was sitting in the tub, her back turned to him as to not reveal anything, but he saw what Petra was talking about the moment he stepped foot inside the bathroom. Angry red slashes adorned Isabel's back and arms, some of the scars much newer than others, but all of them in places where clothing would hide the damage. These were marks that Isabel would have for the rest of her life. Marks made by whips or belts or some other instrument that someone had used to beat her with. Levi grit his teeth as he looked at the damage that had been done.

“Who did this to you, Izzy?” He asked more calmly than he thought possible.

“I...I don't know who they were. There were a few different men that would come to the cell they kept us in, but it was never the Commander. They wanted information about you, about what we did in the underground, how we learned to use the 3DM gear and why we were so good at it. I never told them anything,” Isabel explained, her voice shaking and quiet, her back still turned to him.

“You should have told them everything. They may not have hurt you like this...”

“They still would have hurt me. It didn't matter what I said, they never believed anything that Farlan and I ever told them. Eventually, we just stopped trying to talk to them and let them do what they wanted. That didn't stop them either.”

“I'm sorry, Izzy,” Levi said, his voice cracking a bit with the weight of his apology. This was _his_ fault. He'd caused this horrible pain that Izzy and Farlan had to go through, and now Farlan was dead because of him. He wouldn't make any more mistakes.

“It isn't your fault, Aniki, you did everything you could to get to us.” Isabel turned her head back toward Levi, a mischievous glint in her eye. “But we're gonna get our revenge, right?”

“Damn right, kid,” He agreed, and she smiled before she faced forward again and Petra led him out of the bathroom, closing the door behind them.

“I've never been as angry as I was when I saw those marks on her. I knew Erwin was a horrible man, but I didn't think he would stoop so low as to have a child tortured for information.” Petra clutched at the collar of her shirt as she spoke, not meeting Levi's gaze.

“We'll make him pay,” Levi said firmly, reaching out to her and placing his hand on her arm. It seemed like a comforting enough gesture, and one that she seemed happy for because she relaxed into his touch immediately.

“I hope you're right.” She looked back toward the door. “I should go help her finish up before her food is ready.”

Petra began to turn away before Levi caught her hand and pulled her back for a moment, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head.

“Thank you for helping her,” He said, releasing her hand.

“Of course, it's no problem at all. What she's been through...I couldn't even imagine being put in a position like that. I want her to feel like a normal kid again, so I'll help as much as I can.”

“I'm sure she appreciates that,” He said, and Petra smiled at him one last time before she retreated into the bathroom again.

Levi made his way back to the kitchen to see that the rice was done cooking and was now sitting out in a bowl, steam steadily rising from the top as Gunther sat there looking proud of what he'd accomplished. It wasn't much longer before Petra carried Isabel back out and to the table and sat her down in one of the chairs.

“Eat slowly, Izzy, your stomach won't be able to handle a lot all at once. I know that you're very hungry, but only eat a little at a time for now,” Petra said as Isabel picked up her chopsticks and began to slowly eat her meal. Levi could tell it was taking all of her strength not to devour the whole bowl in five seconds flat, but she was doing well with Petra's instructions.

“You should all get some rest, you've done enough for one day,” Levi said as he looked around at his exhausted squad.

“I'm fine, I'll stay up with you and Izzy,” Petra answered as she took a seat at the table.

“Well, I'm not gonna argue,” Eld chimed in as he pushed himself from his seat and Gunther followed quickly behind.

“There are two rooms upstairs, do you wanna take your pick, Heichou, before we claim them?” Gunther asked as he headed toward the stairs.

“I'll be fine with the couch,” Levi answered.

“Suit yourself. Petra, the room with the big bed is for you, then.”

“Thanks, Gunther,” Petra answered with a smile and then turned her attention back to Isabel. They all said their good-nights and Levi was left in the quiet kitchen with Petra and Isabel.

“You should get some sleep too, you've been up all night,” Levi said, watching Petra as she sat across from Isabel.

“Mm, I'll be fine. I wanted to talk to you anyway,” She answered and Isabel glanced up at Levi as if she were worried that she was interrupting some private moment of his.

“What about?” He asked.

“It didn't take you very long at all to get back here. I guess everything went smoothly?”

“Aniki was so quiet, and that guy that was with us was good at watching out for guards. No one even knew we were sneaking around outside,” Isabel chimed in through a mouthful of rice and Petra laughed a bit.

“Eld is very good at keeping watch,” Petra agreed before she looked back to Levi, her expression more serious now. “But you didn't run into a single person? Not even inside the building?”

“I thought it was suspicious when we got there, but I wasn't thinking about anything but saving her,” Levi put a hand on Isabel's head and ruffled her hair as she ate. “The front door to the building was unlocked, there weren't any guards on the inside either. I thought it was a trap for a while, but everything went off without a hitch. We weren't followed, and no one saw us leaving. Still, I don't like it. It was too easy.”

“Did you tell Eld any of this?”

“No, I was going to bring it up tomorrow. I'm sure he felt the same way.”

“Do you think that he meant for you to rescue her?” Petra looked a bit scared as she asked the question, and it was more than likely good that she was. Erwin was always four steps ahead of them. He never let anything like this happen without a good reason behind it. It was something that Levi had been thinking about since before he made it back to the hideout.

“Maybe,” He answered, Isabel looked up at him as he spoke. “But it doesn't matter right now. Like I said, we weren't followed, I was sure of that. Even if he _wanted_ us to get Izzy out of there, he doesn't know where we are now. We'll have time to figure out what he's planning and make some plans of our own.”

Petra nodded resolutely before she leaned forward and yawned. He knew that she was tired, she had to be after being up all day _and_ all night. Not to mention that all of her energy was probably spent worrying about him while he was gone. She was too stubborn to just go to bed, though, and he knew it. She wanted to stay up with him, regardless of how ridiculous that sounded to Levi himself.

“I'll be right back,” She said, rising from her chair and making her way toward the bedroom with the attached bathroom.

Levi and Isabel both watched her go, and Isabel waited until she heard the soft click of the bathroom door to say anything.

“Aniki, is Petra your girlfriend?” She asked with a knowing smile. Levi was taken aback, but his face didn't show it. He looked at her for a moment before he thought he could control his voice enough to answer.

“No,” He said, but Isabel's smile never faded. It wasn't that he didn't want to give that title to Petra, but he had no idea what they would _actually_ be classified as. He didn't much like the title, to be honest. It sounded too immature, too childish, and not nearly enough to describe what Petra actually was to him.

“Well, it sure seems like she might be your girlfriend. I mean, the way you hugged her when we got back here said a lot, in my opinion.”

“She's just a very good friend, Izzy, that's all,” He answered. He wasn't sure why exactly he felt the need to hide this particular information from Isabel, other than the fact that she would harass him relentlessly if he gave her any room to do so. Really, when he thought about it, he wasn't sure why he was trying to hide whatever he and Petra had from anyone.

“Yeah, sure, 'just a friend'. You know that's, like, the oldest excuse in the book, right? Farlan tried to tell me that about some girl he met back home once, but you and I both know that the girl in question wasn't 'just a friend'. Plus I saw the way you look at each other. I don't look at my friends like that.” Her smile was still in place, but it had grown wider with every bit of evidence she presented.

“How can you be in such bad shape and still be such a colossal pain in my ass?” Levi asked, his tone cold, but Isabel could always see through that. She knew when he was joking with her, and she knew when she could push just a little bit further to find out what she wanted to know from him.

“That's what little sisters are for, you know. I'm _supposed_ to annoy you and ask you about your girlfriends and try to embarrass you. It's all in a day's work.”

“You're a menace,” Levi said, ruffling her hair one more time before he pulled her into a hug. The reality that she was actually here, that she was _safe_ , was really setting in now that the excitement of the day was over. He was finding it hard to control the intense feelings of love and relief that were coursing through him. “But I'm glad you're safe now.”

“Come on, Aniki, don't get all mushy on me now.” Isabel joked, but her arms wrapped around him to return the embrace all the same. The hug didn't last long before he pulled away, but he thought it was probably enough to let her know just how happy he was to have her back.

When Petra walked back into the kitchen she was wearing the same knowing smile that Isabel had worn only moments ago.

“I hope I'm not interrupting a moment.” She said, looking to Levi.

“Not at all,” Levi answered, expressionless.

“I think that's all I can eat right now,” Isabel said, leaning back in her chair a bit as she spoke. “That's the most food I've had for a long time. I'm stuffed.”

“You should get some rest, then. You probably haven't had a good night's sleep for a while either.” Levi added, and his statement was punctuated with a yawn from Isabel.

“You're right. Having a bed will be a luxury!”

Levi took that as his hint to scoop Isabel up from her chair and carry her into the room with the bathroom attached. The bed was small, but it was perfect for Isabel. She immediately curled into the blankets, nuzzling the pillow as if it was the best thing she'd ever seen.

“Comfortable?” He asked as her eyes started to flutter closed.

“You have no idea,”

“I'll just be out there if you need me,” He said, and turned to leave before he heard her tired voice again.

“Aniki,” Her eyes were barely open, but she was looking toward him when he turned around to look back at her. “Farlan was right, up there on the wall. Don't let Petra slip through your fingers. You really would be an idiot not to hold on to her.”

Levi was shocked for a moment. If Isabel had heard that part of their conversation, he wondered if she'd heard everything else that Farlan had said before Erwin pushed him off of the wall. He allowed a small smile before he answered her.

“Good night, Izzy.” He said quietly, turning toward the door again.

“Good night, Aniki,”

Levi left the room where Isabel was now sleeping and closed the door behind him, finding that Petra had already cleaned up the kitchen and was now sitting on the couch. He walked over to her without hesitation to sit down beside her.

When he'd left her that day it felt like he was leaving a piece of himself behind, and being back in close proximity to her was a relief. He'd wanted to kiss her when he got back, and he would have if his whole squad hadn't been standing around watching. The hug was enough to raise some questions, and he'd already seen the consequences of that. But there was nothing stopping him from kissing her now. So, he did just that. He placed his hand on the back of her neck and drew her closer to him, placing a gentle kiss on her lips before he pulled back.

“Have you been waiting all night to do that?” Petra asked with a smile as Levi's arm rested around her shoulders. She leaned into him, laying her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes. He knew she had to be exhausted.

“I might have been,” He answered.

“I'm glad you made it back safely, but I still think this is a trap.” Her sentence was punctuated with a yawn, but Levi knew she was still awake.

“I'm sure Erwin's got something up his sleeve.” He looked over at her and pulled her a little closer. “You're tired. Why don't you get some sleep?”

“I don't want you to have to sit out here by yourself. I'm sure you're tired too, but I'm also sure that you probably won't get any sleep. You're too worried that someone will find us, but you didn't want to express that fear because then Eld and Gunther would have offered to do rotating watch shifts. So you think you're going to do it all by yourself.”

“How exactly do you know all that?” He asked, a little taken aback by her guesses.

“Because I know you pretty well at this point, and I know that you don't want the rest of us to go out of our way for you, or for Izzy.”

“You've already done that much,”

“Fine, you don't want us to go any _further_ out of our way. Regardless, if you're staying up to keep watch then so am I,”

“Your eyes are already closed, Petra,”

“I'm just resting them,” Petra's voice already sounded a bit groggy, and Levi knew if he waited just a bit longer she would fall asleep leaning against his shoulder despite her protests. So instead of answering her he just sat with her, waiting to hear her breathing even out so that he could lay her down on the couch more comfortably and he could stay up and keep watch for the rest of the night. To his surprise, though, she began to talk again.

“What will we do now that we have her with us?”

“We'll wait for the two of you to get better. That's the only thing we _can_ do. We'll need everyone's cooperation to make sure we can get rid of Erwin and make our getaway without incident.”

“But what if they find us before then?” Petra's voice suddenly sounded small, less tired and more worried. When Levi looked over at her she was looking back at him, her eyes shining with a sort of fear that he wasn't sure he had seen there before.

“They won't find us.”

“But what if they do?”

“Then I'll take care of them and we'll move somewhere else before they can send anyone else here.”

“You're okay with killing the people that Erwin sends after us?” Petra watched him closely, and he knew he had to answer this question carefully. He didn't think that his answer would change how she felt about him, but the fact that the immediate answer that sprung to mind at the mention of her question was 'yes' didn't seem like a good thing.

He would kill anyone that tried to hurt Petra, or Isabel, or any of his squad mates, and he knew that might not be something that Petra would like to hear.

“To say that I'm okay with it might be a stretch. I'll do it if I have to, to keep you safe, to keep Isabel and everyone else safe, but I won't be okay with taking the life of another person. I'm simply doing what I have to do to make sure the people I care about survive. No more, no less.” He wanted to avoid her gaze while he answered her question, but there simply wasn't a good way to do that. They were too close together, in far too intimate of a setting to try and hide himself from her line of sight. So, instead, he looked straight into her eyes while he spoke, hoping that what he was feeling was being conveyed to her that way.

“I understand what you mean,” She said, and she rearranged herself so that her head was laying in his lap instead of on his shoulder. This new position seemed more comfortable for her, and it allowed Levi to run his fingers through her hair, so he wouldn't complain. “I just hate that we might have to take the lives of people who are probably completely innocent in the whole matter. They're just following orders, doing what their Commander tells them to do. They don't even know that his motives are malicious.”

“There isn't anything we can do about that,”

“I know,” Petra's eyes closed as she spoke. “I just wish there was another way.”

“It will all be over soon enough, and then we won't have to worry about killing anyone or anything ever again. We'll have a peaceful life with Izzy in the country.”

“That sounds nice,” Petra said, her voice softer and laced with the sleep that was taking her over.

Before Levi knew it Petra was sound asleep in his lap, her breaths had evened out and her body had finally relaxed. He knew that she needed the sleep. She'd been up for far too long and it wasn't something that she was used to. If she was going to be energized tomorrow she would need to sleep at least a little tonight, and he didn't mind being her pillow. The only thing he was concerned with was explaining their position to the others in the morning, but he could hope that Petra would wake up before the rest. Instead of worrying about everything that their mission brought, he decided that he would just enjoy the moment, and hope that everything would work out for the best.


End file.
